


The Running Free

by Cascalence



Series: The One About Serial Killers [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Assassin Jack Kline, Cake Frosting as Lube, Doctor Castiel (Supernatural), Hacker Charlie Bradbury, Handler Kelly Kline, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rough Sex, Serial Killer Dean Winchester, Serial Killer Gabriel (Supernatural), Serial Killer Sam Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:41:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 21,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25823062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cascalence/pseuds/Cascalence
Summary: Two years have passed since the Saviors left the US.  The boys, still active, run into a new kind of trouble.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Gabriel/Sam Winchester
Series: The One About Serial Killers [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1873609
Comments: 24
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

Sam stepped into the dark apartment behind Gabriel, giving a gesture to Dean. Behind him, Dean gave a nod and headed deep into the apartment, supposedly seeking out their mark, or any survivors. Gabriel barely gave a glance as he scanned the living area before him, gun held carefully at the ready.

Sam tucked his gun into the back of his pants, silently watching his boyfriend as he moved. He couldn't help a faint smile on his lips as Gabriel focused wholly on finding their target.

He swept through the living room easily, making his way through an adjacent doorway. Sam followed at a sedate pace, watching as the smaller man suddenly halted a few feet past the entry, tilting his head in confusion at something he saw there. Sam turned his head at a slight step behind himself, then grinned and flipped the light switch to the kitchen area.

Gabriel spun, eyes wide and blinking rapidly to adjust to the sudden brightness.

"Surprise!" he called out, his voice combining with the three behind him.

Gabriel's eyes adjusted, gun aimed at Sam, his gaze moving from him, to Dean...to Castiel, and then Charlie, the latter three all carefully shielded by Sam's tall stature in the doorway.

"...Fuck, you guys!" Gabriel breathed with a laugh, lowering his gun as he caught up with the situation. "...Dammit, I could've shot one of you!" he said, smile giving way to a frown.

Sam moved forward, shaking his head as he reached out and took the weapon from his boyfriend's grasp. He ejected the clip. "Switched it out with blanks," he explained as he showed him. Cas, Charlie, and Dean entered the kitchen, all grinning as Sam put the clip back in and set it on the counter next to the cake that had made Gabriel draw up short earlier.

Gabriel shook his head and reached up to Sam. Sam readily leaned down, kissing him softly. They parted a few seconds later, to a short cough from Dean.

"Gods, Samshine, I love you," Gabriel spoke.

Sam smiled. "Then," he began, watching Gabriel's gaze flicker with confusion as the taller of the two took a step back. The confusion went to surprise when, in one fluid motion, Sam knelt and pulled a box from his pocket. He flicked it open, watching Gabriel's expression. "...marry me?" Sam finished, carefully trying to keep his nervousness out of his tone.

Gabriel's eyes flicked from Sam, to the soft gold band in the box, engraved delicately with a feather, then up behind him to their rag-tag family, as though asking if this was actually happening.

Sam felt licks of anxiety in his stomach, but he waited. Gabriel looked back at him, and Sam couldn't help but grin as he saw the answer a split-second before his boyfriend--fiance--breathed out a, "Fuck yes," slipping to his knees before Sam.

Gabriel stared at Sam in wonder as the taller man, smiling warmly, pulled the ring from the box and slipped it onto Gabriel's left hand. Behind them, Charlie let out a whoop, and someone clapped their hands together once. Sam didn't bother to pay attention to them, being pulled forward into another one of Gabriel's kisses.

It started simple enough, but it rapidly changed. Soft, warm, hungry...and then desperate. Sam frowned in concern, gently breaking the kiss and searching Gabriel's eyes. That desperateness was shining in his eyes, almost hiding all the warmth and love that was being conveyed, too. They were still close enough together that Sam could feel Gabriel's lips tremble against his own.

"Okay, there's cake, and then some g--" Dean started.

"Leave, guys," Sam interrupted. He didn't know what was going on, only that Gabriel couldn't hold it back, couldn't wait for later.

"Wh--" Dean began, but then he was stumbling, probably being pulled by Cas. Charlie let out a worried noise, but was following after the other couple.

The second the click of the apartment door sounded, Gabriel surged forward for another kiss. It wasn't just desperate, it was needy. Sam pulled him forward, one hand on his hip, the other in the small of his back. But he broke the kiss after that.

This time, Gabriel whimpered, and tried to chase his lips.

"Talk to me, Gabriel. Come on, tell me what's going on," Sam spoke, fighting with himself to just give Gabriel whatever he wanted in the moment. He wanted to make sure his fiance's head wasn't, somehow, going to a bad place.

Gabriel stilled with a short whine. "...Too much. Sam...my heart, I...everything's too much. I feel like I'm gonna explode. I just...it's..."

Sam's mind kicked into high gear as he took what little clues he had, and what he was being given right now. A long-ago discussion of how Gabriel's emotions ran close to the surface, of how he'd had difficulty forming proper relationships as a child, for that reason.... Sam had seen it over the past few years, too. How Gabriel was careful with what he said and did when interacting with...with anyone, really. And Sam had just overwhelmed him. He frowned, concerned.

"Okay. It's okay. I'm here, Gabriel. Not going anywhere, Angel. Tell me what you want, what you need."

A sob punched from Gabriel, and tears started flowing down his face. Sam said nothing as he waited for Gabriel to communicate with him, instead starting to kiss the salty tears away.

It took a couple of minutes, but Gabriel finally spoke again. "Just...just need you in me, Samshine. Need to feel you...need...need you to anchor me before I go crazy with this," Gabriel finally spoke, voice quiet, almost as though ashamed.

"Anything," Sam responded immediately, before moving to kiss Gabriel's neck.

As they began to rush through stripping one another of clothes, Sam realized something. Dean and Sam had set up this apartment to look lived-in, but they hadn't expected something like this happening...and there was no lube.

He didn't stop as he laid Gabriel's bare body against the kitchen floor, pressing his lips to the skin above the other's thrumming heart. There had to be something they could use!

Spit was a no. Water was a no. They hadn't bothered with shampoo, soap, or conditioner bottles anywhere. Nothing in the fridge or pantry. Hell, they hadn't actually bothered to put a bed in the bedroom, since they had directed Gabriel to take the left side of the structure. The only thing in here was...was the cake.

...The frosting would work. It was mostly butter, after all....

He halted in a kiss on Gabriel's stomach, looking up to see an absolutely wrecked expression on his face. Sam couldn't help but smile softly as he moved back up, kissing Gabriel's lips softly, before broaching the subject.

"Gabe...I need to open you up, and we don't have any lube," he said.

Gabriel took his words in, slowly processed them, and began to frown.

"...There's a butter product. The uh...the cake frosting," Sam supplied gently.

"...S'fine. Just need you. Please, Sam, please," Gabriel spoke quietly, his grip on Sam's left arm tightening.

"Anything," Sam repeated, moving back a bit and pulling the cake from the counter. This was weird, but...but he'd meant it. He'd do anything for Gabriel, and it wasn't like it was super disgusting. He'd heard of a lot worse things, but he wasn't going to think about that and ruin what was going on right now.

A swipe of the frosting, and Sam began to ease Gabriel open. They had had sex that morning, so Gabriel was still a bit loose...still, how easily his body was opening up for him was...it was arousing, really.

The heat inside Gabriel had the frosting basically melting and providing a smooth glide for his fingers. Finding Gabriel's prostate was, with their years of activity, very easy. He had Gabriel yelling, begging, pleading, within moments.

He had yet to have a problem in getting it up for Gabriel, but he couldn't recall feeling this hard before, as he watched his lover's back bow, his body fighting for more.

He worked his way up to three fingers, his eyes drinking up the sight of his fiance's writhing between kisses, before he finally pulled his hand away. Gabriel let out a sob at the loss, but didn't say anything, knowing that it meant they'd be joined soon.

Coating his cock in frosting was, again, weird...but sinking into Gabriel's heat was so-very-right. They were both panting, groaning, and whining into the otherwise silent apartment. It was a long press, but it was barely slow, with Gabriel's body sucking him in, in a way it almost rarely did. Once Sam was fully sheathed, unable to be pressed any closer, Gabriel spoke.

"Need it hard, my Samshine. Please?" he spoke, voice wavering with emotion.

Sam frowned a bit at that, but leaned over, placing a soft kiss to Gabriel's forehead.

Instead of giving any sort of verbal answer, he rolled his hips. Once, and then once more, assuring himself that Gabriel's body wasn't going to try and tense up during this.

And then he pulled back, slamming back in with the best culmination of speed and strength he could manage. He didn't stop at Gabriel's subsequent yell, instead gripping the hips of the man beneath him, keeping up a brutal, punishing pace.

Gabriel was letting out a litany of pleas and praises as Sam took him harder than he ever had. Neither of them lasted long, riding their emotions like this. Gabriel came first, cock spurting between them, untouched, as he practically screamed his release. It didn't take Sam but a minute to follow after him, in one of the hardest orgasms of his life. Hard enough that he blacked out after that.

When he came to, it was to Gabriel nuzzling against his cheek, humming vaguely.

"Mmph...okay?" Sam mumbled, trying to get his body on board with waking.

"Yes. So good, Samshine. ...You're always so good to me," Gabriel spoke quietly, warmth filling his tone.

Sam looked up and smiled lovingly. "I love you. I could never be anything but good to you, Gabriel," he told the other softly. He shook his head after a second, pulling away, and out, of Gabriel.

Gabriel winced and whined at the sensation. Sam let out a soft murmur in response, to soothe his fiance. "We need to get cleaned up. And I don't want you sleeping here, especially not with how sore your body is going to be later," Sam told him gently.

Gabriel nodded in agreement. They used Sam's boxer-briefs to clean up what they could, otherwise redressing. The cake was tossed, and a box holding some wrapped presents was carried out of the apartment with them.

They walked home, living only a couple of blocks away, the box of presents under one of Sam's arms, his free hand tangled with the fingers of one of Gabriel's hands.

As they neared their building, Sam looked over at Gabriel with a warm smile. "Happy birthday, Angel," he murmured softly.


	2. Chapter 2

Two days after Gabriel's birthday and they were all sitting in their shared apartment building, in Cas and Dean's living room. Cas and Dean were on the sofa, leaning into each other over a bowl of popcorn. Gabriel and Sam were on the loveseat, Sam sitting normally with his feet on the floor, and Gabriel sitting with his feet in Sam's lap as the taller man gently rubbed them. Charlie was on an adjacent loveseat, sprawled out with a bowl of caramel corn that she was passing back to Gabriel every so often.

"Whoa, wait, what?" Dean suddenly piped up, all five of them staring at the screen in surprise.

"Did they just--"

"They referenced you guys! Holy crap, you guys are officially pop culture!" Charlie chimed.

The three serial killers looked at one another. None of them looked particularly happy with this.

"They're romanticizing serial killers, Charles. That's not--" Gabriel began, but he cut off as the argument he was giving was played out on the screen before them.

Tony Stark was in favor of the Saviors.

Steve Rogers thought they were as bad as the murderers and such that they went after.

They all fell silent as the team became divided, the Saviors being one of many reasons for that divide.

When the movie ended, they wandered off to their respective apartments, all of them introspective on what they'd watched.

Sam and Gabriel had curled together in bed that evening, both still in their own heads. They pressed soft kisses to each other's lips, but soon, they were asleep.

The knock on the door, in the pre-dawn hours, had them both snapping wide awake. Sam frowned and stood swiftly, grabbing his piece from under the nightstand drawer. Gabriel, ever better at stealth, was quickly behind him as he approached the door.

Sam looked through the peep hole, seeing Charlie waiting patiently on the other side of the door. Behind her, though, was a woman and a teen. Sam didn't recognize them. As such, he gaze a gesture to Gabriel to take up position in case something went wrong. He tucked his piece into the back of his sleep pants and put on an act, a sleepy expression, before he opened the door.

"Charlie?" he asked, rubbing at one side of his face.

"This is Kelly and Jack, Sam. Dean's on his way up. We should discuss this inside," Charlie spoke.

No code words, just a serious tone usually reserved for briefings on marks. Sam's eyes slid to the woman and teen, looking them over.

Kelly's expression was pleasant and friendly...but there was something in the way she held herself that screamed of someone begging for help, of being afraid of being turned away.

Jack...he couldn't read much off of him, other than what looked like typical teenage attitude. He didn't want to be here.

Sam looked over at Gabriel, silently communicating for him to stand down. Once his fiance had, Sam stepped back, and the three entered quickly, as though standing in the hallway was dangerous.

At first, Sam had watched the woman, but his eyes quickly wound up on the teen. His posture, his gait...he was carrying weapons. It took everything Sam had not to train a weapon on the kid.

He watched Kelly gesture to the sofa, looking at Jack. When he'd sat down, with a huff, Kelly sat down on it as well. Charlie, laptop tucked against her side, sat cross-legged in the sofa chair. Gabriel moved to one of the loveseats across the room, but Sam remained standing, watching them all silently.

He didn't ask questions, not yet, and his silence had Gabriel doing the same.

Dean walked in barely two minutes later, shutting the door behind him. His eyes scanned the room, landing on the strangers. His big brother frowned, almost scowling, and then he looked at Charlie.

Taking her cue, Charlie spoke up. "This is Jack, and his handler, Kelly Kline," she began. The three serial killers frowned at the term, but none interrupted as the hacker continued. "Kelly reached out to me for help. She's trying to pull Jack out of...out of the assassin game," she spoke carefully.

Sam couldn't help startling at that, head spinning around to look over the teen again.

Kelly's lips pressed together in a thin line before she spoke up. "Our bosses had him going after corrupt politicians and leaders for the longest time...but there was a witness, and they assigned her to him."

Jack's eyes, defiant under their gazes until this time, went to the floor. He was upset.

Dean, hands clenching and unfurling at his side, interrupted. "So, what? You pointed a loose cannon at an innocent, couldn't deal with the fallout, and you want...what, exactly?"

Kelly pursed her lips and shook her head again. "I wasn't happy about the assignment, but...but it was either that or Jack be retired. I'm sure you all know what that means in our world. So, yes...yes, I guided him in. If he didn't do it, he'd be dead, and someone else would have the assignment."

Sam was listening, but watching Jack. From the corner of his eye, he saw Dean starting to reach for his piece, so he spoke up.

"He didn't do it."

Jack flinched under the words, looking torn in two. Kelly looked to Sam. "No, he didn't," she confirmed.

Silence reigned for a long few moments. Dean spoke next. "So you need protection? I hate to tell you, but that's not something we can offer very well, especially not doing what we do."

Kelly frowned, searching out words. "Honestly? I don't know what I came here for," she finally said. "I just...I had hope that someone could do something. If you guys are just a stop on the road for us, then I'm sorry to have taken up your time, but...I had to reach out to someone, try...anything," she said.

Sam turned his gaze onto Kelly, searching every last cue and clue she'd given over the past few minutes.

It clicked.

"Does he know?" Sam asked quietly. Dean shot him a confused look, but Sam didn't look at him, didn't provide an answer yet.

He heard a soft intake of breath from Gabriel as he reached the conclusion.

Jack looked up at Sam, then at Kelly questioningly.

"No," Kelly said, her eyes leaving all of them and moving to the coffee table.

When the silence stretched, Jack frowned. "Know what? Kelly?" he said, watching her.

The kid trusted her, implicitly. Whether it was some sort of programming, or just years of trust built between assassin and handler, Sam couldn't say. But the teen needed to know, and soon, or that trust would break.

"Later, Jack. Your handler will tell you, but right now, we all need to focus on the next course of action," Sam spoke, taking over.

Dean was tensing, not pleased with taking on...whatever this was.

So Sam shot him one of his patented bitch-faces, telling him to suck it up and deal with it.

Charlie took that as her cue. "So, who's up for hunting down an elite assassin force and stopping it in its tracks?"


	3. Chapter 3

Dean's answer to Charlie's question had been a short, "I need a beer," before he vanished into the kitchen. Jack had stared after him, more specifically, after Dean's silent feet, until he was out of sight.

"Jack," Sam spoke up, drawing the teen's attention. Once their gazes met, Sam continued. "What you did, abandoning your job...y-your mark? Your assignment? It was right," he said.

Jack flinched, hard, and started to shake his head. "N-No, I betrayed the Company, I left her--"

"It was right, Jack," Sam reiterated.

Jack was still shaking his head. "I should've...they already sent someone else, it doesn't matter, she's dead."

Sam frowned, but he wasn't surprised, given what Kelly had already told them.

"It's still right, Jack. She may be dead, but her blood is not on your hands. You didn't take an innocent life, and that's...that's important," Sam said. Kevin flit through his mind, but he shoved it away.

Jack was still for a long moment, quiet. And then he said something, and it was so low, Sam actually didn't hear it. So he stepped forward, despite his instincts warning him to stay away from the armed teen, and moved, kneeling in front of the young man. Slowly, Jack's gaze came up to meet Sam's.

"...I've put my handler in danger," he repeated, loud enough to be heard.

"Jack, that's not--" Kelly started beside him, but Jack was shaking his head. Kelly reached over, gently grasping his shoulder. The teen leaned away, but Kelly moved the hand over to his other shoulder and pulled him into her side. "Shh, Jack. You know I'd do anything for you, right? You..." she began, then halted as she searched for words. Finally, she looked at Sam. There was a question in her eyes. ' _Now?_ ' it seemed to ask. Sam gave a half smile, an aborted shrug, and a slight nod, all in one gesture. It was as good a time as any. "...You're my son, Jack," she whispered gently.

Under her arm, Jack tensed. And then he pulled away enough to look up at her, gaze searching as if trying to determine the truth...or the lie.

"But...but you said--"

"One of the conditions of becoming your handler, was that you never know our true relationship. So that, should it come down to it, you could and would cut ties with me, and follow Company direction," Kelly supplied with a tight smile.

Sam stood, backing up and giving them space as Jack turned into his mother, nuzzling into her shoulder as he held her tight.

Turning revealed Dean, already passing a beer to Gabriel, and holding a third out toward Sam. His expression said he'd heard...and that much as he didn't like the trouble on their doorstep, he was fully in on the plans they were going to have to make.

Half an hour later, Charlie was typing information into her computer and working to make profiles based on the information Kelly and Jack were giving.

The Company, as they called it, was based out of Rome. Which, oddly, seemed to make sense.

The Company 'employed' sixteen assassin-and-handler teams, if they included Jack and Kelly.

They learned that the assassins were almost always raised from birth to be trained and taught their methods and procedures. Kelly, former MI5, had barely been qualified to make handler. But somehow, the Company had decided to allow it, when she found herself pregnant, alone, and being recruited by the organization.

"...Is Jack the youngest?" Gabriel had cut in after they supplied information on one of the teams.

Kelly's lips pressed thin, and she shook her head. "He's not. Second-youngest, but...youngest would be..." she started, before halting and looking at Charlie. Charlie nodded, ready to receive the information. "Youngest would be a six year old named Lilith. Usually, they aren't allowed in field until eight years, but Lilith..."

"She's scary," Jack said plainly. "She looks so innocent, and she uses it. Draws her target close, uses blades...makes it bloody."

"The Company surprisingly enlists her services often, given the potential for her leaving evidence with as vicious as she is," Kelly said with a frown.

Gabriel frowned and Sam moved over, gently squeezing his shoulder. Their eyes met, and Sam read it there. Gabriel couldn't kill someone that young. ...Sam doubted he could, either. So he looked back at Kelly. "What's the chance of being able to rehabilitate her?" he asked.

"I couldn't tell you, but...her handler, he's a former assassin of the Company...so I doubt those odds are high, given how he'd have trained and raised her," Kelly answered.

"This is fucked up," Sam heard from Dean, across the room and settled on the arm of the chair Charlie was sitting in. Sam just nodded in agreement.

A knock sounded on the door, and they all tensed. The door opened, and weapons were being drawn, before, "Sam, is Dean..."

Cas halted short at seeing all the weapons trained on him, raising an eyebrow. Dean was the first to lower his, moving swiftly over and pressing a chaste kiss to his boyfriend's lips.

Sam and Gabriel relaxed their weapons as well.

"Stand down, Jack. He's with them," Sam heard come from Kelly.

Looking over showed Jack ready to throw a dagger, tense as all hell.

The teen's eyes moved around the room, as though a threat was going to appear now that the room had been breached by a new presence.

Dean moved carefully, shutting the door behind Cas, and then moving between him and then teen. "...C'mon, kid, put it down," he spoke, tone commanding.

It took another long moment, but Jack sank to where he'd been sitting on the sofa. Tension remained in his shoulders, and he was playing with the dagger between his hands.

"...Okay, it's time for a break," Gabriel spoke suddenly, standing up and setting his gun down on the coffee table. "Come on, Cassie...I'm feeling your blueberry pancakes!" the short man spoke, leading his brother into the kitchen.

Charlie continued building profiles, but was no longer asking questions, allowing Kelly and Jack to work on relaxing for a short while.

Sam was quiet for a moment as the air in the apartment slowly lost its tension.

"After breakfast...I'll show you two to one of the apartments in the building. There's beds in it, but...not much more. ...But I'm sure you two could use your own space," he spoke finally.

Kelly looked up, then gave a short nod and a grateful smile. "Thank you, Sam," she said, before she looked over at Jack, starting to speak to him in hushed tones.

Dean moved over next to Sam, watching them for a moment before looking up at his taller little brother. "Fifteen assassins, Sammy. ...And we're not as young as we used to be. This is going to be a real bitch."

"Mm, it is. But we're a team...and we'll manage it together," Sam said, pushing certainty into his tone.

Dean grunted in agreement...but Sam knew they were both feeling more than a little trepidation at the daunting task before them.


	4. Chapter 4

Charlie managed to put pictures with a good few of the profiles she was building...but they didn't attempt to draw them out and in just yet.

Instead, after a surprisingly short discussion, they had decided to incorporate Jack into their team. The reasoning for it was sound, Sam thought.

After all, Jack was well-trained and familiar with the methods of his fellow assassins. As such, he wound up training, and training with, the serial killers in the basement gym of the apartment building.

Methods were shared all around, and within the space of a month, they found that Jack fit into their usual MO just as easily as Gabriel had. It backed their play to have Jack on their team.

Kelly hadn't seemed terribly happy about it all at first, but she knew Jack's capabilities, and hadn't disagreed.

...Then there was the fact that they needed to use the teen as bait, to draw in their marks. As far as any of them knew, the Company hadn't caught on that he'd gone to the Saviors for help. Just that he'd gone underground.

That was changing today.

They went ahead, Sam, Dean, and Gabriel. Masked and armed to the teeth, ready for anything. They waited in alcoves and crevices of the mostly open, long-abandoned building, keeping their presence hidden and trusting that Charlie had wiped them from any cameras in the area.

Jack arrived half an hour later, identity wide in the open as he took a seat in the middle of the dusty floor. He sat patiently, playing with his dagger.

It took _hours_. But then, they'd expected that. Berlin was a good distance from Rome, after all.

Suddenly, Jack tilted his head. "Amanda," he spoke, swiftly standing and turning.

The young woman that responded was not yet within his sight.

"Really, Spawn? Are you so far removed from us that you'd actually use my name?" came the response.

"...I'm only going to ask once. Abandon the Company, don't do this."

There was a sound of metal on concrete. A silence following it. Then, a regret-filled, "Goodbye, Spawn."

There was a blur of movement, and Jack was deflecting a sword with a dagger, before all but dancing out of the way, just in time for Righteous to fire off three rounds into the woman.

Sam and Judgement departed their hiding spots, even before Righteous called out, "Clear!"

Jack was staring at the body on the floor, and Righteous stepped forward, laying a hand on his shoulder. "It's gotta be done, kid. For what it's worth, I'm sorry," he spoke quietly.

Jack looked up at him, then gave a short nod. "I know...I understand. ...But they were my friends, too," he said softly.

They were careful in concealing Jack on the way back to the apartment building. It was bad enough that the Company would be focusing all its attention on their city...they didn't need to expose their home, too.

It was almost a week later when Sam came in from a grocery run to the end of an oldies song. He smiled faintly. That meant Gabriel was cleaning. Stepping into the kitchen revealed his fiance sweeping the floor.

As he sat the paper bag of groceries on the counter, Gabriel turned, honey-whiskey hues finding him and lighting up.

The starting strings of Under the Boardwalk began, and Sam swept forward, pulling Gabriel close and startling him into dropping the broom.

Sam smiled warmly, humming along to the words as he began to sway around the floor with Gabriel. The smaller man lit up all the more as he began to fall into step, hands sliding up to loosely clasp behind Sam's neck. Sam's hands slid down, pressing gently into the dip of Gabriel's lower back.

As they moved around, Sam glanced up to see Jack in the entryway of the kitchen, watching with a puzzled curiosity. It wasn't such a private moment that he'd begrudge the kid his curiosity. He looked back down at Gabriel, leaning down a bit so their foreheads were touching.

The song wasn't a long one, and was soon over. American Pie kicked on, but they had stilled and just stood there, smiling softly at one another. Finally, deciding to see why Jack had come to visit, Sam kissed Gabriel's forehead and slid his hands away. Gabriel frowned for a moment, until he caught sight of Jack. He raised his eyebrows, but as always, shot the teen a friendly smile before heading to resume his sweeping.

Sam moved and gestured to the living room, so they wouldn't have to pretty much yell over the music. Jack easily followed the direction.

"Everything alright?" Sam asked, once they were separated from the music.

Jack looked back at the kitchen, his lips twisting in a confused frown as he nodded. "For now. Charlie asked me to come tell you that she caught sight of another of the Company's assassins entering the city. His name is Anton...he's highly proficient with guns," Jack supplied, slowly looking back to Sam. "...I don't understand, why were you two dancing?"

"Mm...well, why do you think two people dance?" Sam asked in return.

"To...to initiate a courtship. It's something I was taught to do so that, when I became old enough to blend in, I'd be able to attend functions and keep myself from standing out," Jack replied.

Sam nodded and shrugged. "It can be used that way. Dancing...dancing can be used for a lot of things. An outlet, to draw a partner in...or just to express care. I love Gabriel, Jack. And while he knows it, it doesn't stop me from wanting to express it, however I can."

Jack nodded slowly. "...I don't know how that feels," he said after a moment, a perplexed frown on his lips.

"Well, maybe one day you will. Maybe one day, someone will come into your life, and change everything for you. Your mom, Dean, Cas, Charlie, Gabriel...myself, we'll be there to help you figure it out, when it does happen, okay?"

Jack nodded, but still looked uncertain. Sam chuckled a bit.

"Don't worry about it, for now. Look, go tell Dean about Anton, too. But uh...definitely knock on their door, don't just walk in. They could be uh..."

"Having sex?" Jack supplied.

Sam felt a faint flush as he coughed a laugh. "Exactly. And that's private, so...knock and wait for an answer."

Jack nodded and left without another word.


	5. Chapter 5

Taking down the assassin Anton had not been nearly as easy as the first one, Amanda.

Jack hadn't even had a chance to make his plea before he was having to duck and dodge gunfire.

They wound up all pinned down behind cover, their target included...and the man seemed to have brought more ammo than they had.

"Alright, whoa, whoa!" Righteous called out. "Now, listen...I'm sure you've got no problem with killing us," he began, moving to glance out, only to have to withdraw as a round was fired at him. "...But we would prefer not to kill you."

"That weakness will end you," Anton had snapped back.

That Righteous had taken the initiative to talk was telling. He'd been counting rounds and knew that their little team was low.

"How is it weakness to value the lives of others?" Sam tried.

"That's what gets you dead," the target snapped back, firing off in Sam's direction even though Sam was still well hidden.

"Anton," Jack cut in. "We don't want you dead. We want you to walk, to leave the Company."

There was a loud scoff. "You say you don't want me dead, but ask me to commit suicide? They were right, you're too far gone, Spawn."

There was a sudden creak above all of them, and three successive shots.

"Clear," Judgement called grimly.

They all approached the fallen man, Judgement climbing down from the rafters.

Sam looked over Jack's face and frowned in concern. The young man was upset, just as much as he had been with the death of the first assassin.

"Jack...I'm sorry. But if we don't do this, they will kill you, and your mother."

Jack nodded, still staring at the body. "...I just wish I could save them," he responded quietly.

It was hardly a secret that, after the US, the Saviors had moved to the European continent. It'd taken some adjusting, but within six months of the move, they were hunting down all sorts of bastards once again.

So it was that, when their MO deviated and they left unidentified bodies with no clue as to their crime, the media went absolutely _nuts_.

They started circulating a poor likeness of Gabriel; he'd been the only one officially identified by the US before the Saviors had been completely erased from existence.

"My nose is not that crooked," his fiance had sulked.

Sam had chuckled and leaned down, kissing the bridge of said nose. "I love you, every bit of you, just as you are," he'd told him plainly.

Gabriel had flushed and muttered something about sugar before scuttling off from the situation. It'd only made Sam laugh all the more.

They hadn't given Jack a code name yet. There'd been no need, not in the face of their current movements. But, should Jack and Kelly stick around, stay a part of their family when it was over...then Jack needed one.

And the one given to him by the Company? Yeah, no, they could do better.

"Mm, what about Creed? You know, like the video game?" Gabriel suggested.

Dean wrinkled his nose. "No way...makes me think of the band."

"Dude, Creed is good, you just have no taste," Sam argued.

"And that's why you don't pick the music," Dean said with a grin.

They were sitting around Sam and Gabriel's table, all with beers; Cas was out picking up some takeout, and Charlie, Kelly, and Jack were to join them later.

They fell silent again, all thinking, trying to figure out a name, a moniker, that would fit the teen.

"He...he wants to save all these people out to kill him," Dean suddenly spoke up. "He has been insistent on giving them opportunity, from the start."

Sam nodded as they began brainstorming aloud. "He was trained to be ruthless and heartless, but he's not."

"The saving grace there may be his mother's influence," Gabriel added with a shrug.

"Mm. ...So what do you call someone that should have turned out evil, but is really good?" Dean spoke.

' _Miraculous_ ,' Sam thought. He dismissed it as a name, though. Far too much of a mouthful.

Echoing his thoughts, Gabriel spoke up. "A Miracle...but honestly, that's a bit much. I mean...our names are long enough as it is. No need to give the kid something that mouthy, too."

Sam shot Gabriel a warm, fond smile. And then it hit him. "Boon."

"What, like Daniel Boone?" Dean spoke with a confused frown.

Sam couldn't help but roll his eyes. "No, B-O-O-N. Like uh...like a hope realized."

Slowly, Gabriel nodded. "I like it. Think he will?"

"We'll find out," Dean said with a shrug, apparently agreeing to the name.


	6. Chapter 6

"But I have a--"

"We know, kid...and it sucks. Where do they even get Spawn from, anyway?" Gabriel had cut in.

Jack blinked and looked at Kelly. She shook her head. "I'm not real sure. I think it's supposed to be short for hell spawn? The Company seems to like to hover around the names of creatures...mythological creatures."

That made them all scowl.

Slowly, Jack nodded. "Okay...so then...what was your idea?" he asked, tone curious and slightly hesitant.

"Boon," Dean answered.

Jack gave a puzzled frown. "...Like a wish?"

"We were more thinking like a hope or a dream realized or granted," Sam offered. "Ultimately, the decision is up to you. You can go with that one, or pi--"

"No. No, I...I like it," Jack said, looking from Sam, to Gabriel, and then to Dean. "Thank you," he spoke genuinely.

Dean shifted uncomfortably. "Alright, time to divvy up the food!" he said, switching subjects.

A day later, and trouble was brewing in their beautiful city again.

Two more assassins had arrived, seeking out Jack.

Brian and Tasha, according to the profiles Charlie had.

The Saviors, Jack included, began setting up the next trap immediately. It was as simple as ever, really. The serial killers would arrive ahead and take up positions, and the assassin would follow later, baiting their targets in.

Brian favored knives, apparently, and Tasha, guns.

Knowing this, Jack had carefully stayed near a stone column of the long abandoned train station. He made his plea, asked them to leave the Company. Brian and Tasha looked at each other...and with little more than a smirk, they began a barrage on Jack. The teen barely made his cover.

Sam made to open fire, but hissed, ducking back away as a knife hit his hand, piercing it and making him drop his gun. Shit, these two were prepared.

Suddenly, the gunfire ceased, and silence reined. Sam frowned, carefully peeking out.

Brian and Tasha were dead on the floor, each with one bullet wound to the head.

There was a young woman standing opposite the bodies...on Jack's side of the pillar he'd been hiding behind. Sam tensed at first, but...she was lowering her gun.

"You can get me out?" she asked Jack.

"We can," he answered, looking over at their cover spots.

The woman didn't follow his gaze. "...You're not even out, not really, not yet. How do you plan on getting me out?"

"We will, Kate. I promise, we'll get you out," Jack responded.

The young woman looked down, then gave one short nod. "Okay."

Jack's resulting smile showed his hope.


	7. Chapter 7

With that, Sam stepped forward, calling out, "Clear!"

Righteous and Judgement moved from their spots as well, though his brother was far more hesitant about it than his fiance.

Kate finally looked away from Jack, carefully taking in the three masked men as they approached the assassins. She was tense, but it was a defensive posture she took instead of looking ready to lash out at them. Her eyes slid over each one of them, before finally landing on Righteous. "...Are you guys really the Saviors?" she asked.

"They are," Jack supplied, even as Righteous gave a short nod in affirmation.

She nodded slowly. "Well, given everything the media has been going on about, I guess it'd be little surprise to know that the Company is on your trail as well. They're confused, though, as to how and why they've drawn your attention."

"Ordering the execution of innocents will do the trick there," Judgement spoke.

Kate looked over at him. "...You're the one that used to be Gabriel Shurley, right? Before someone stepped in and erased every last trace of you...of all three of you?" she asked.

Judgement shot her a broad grin. "That'd be me!" he spoke without any trace of denial.

Her eyes came up to Sam, then went over to Righteous. "Your names and likenesses weren't released before you all disappeared..." she began, a clear question in her tone. She wanted to know who they were.

"Sorry, sweetheart. I don't like the risk involved with that info getting back to your superiors," Righteous said plainly.

Kate frowned. "Former superiors...but I understand. So...where do we go from here? We certainly can't just stick around."

"There's an apartment...barely furnished, but it's got a sofa you can sleep on...running water and electricity, for now. We'll take you to it," Sam supplied. He pulled out his phone and started texting Celeste as he spoke. ' _There was a third, hiding in the shadow of the first two. She took them out and is walking on the Company_.'

Kate nodded and they began the trek back to the car.

' _Shit, that coulda been bad! Who is it?_ ' came back from Celeste in short order.

' _Kate_.'

' _She's one of the few I couldn't find a photo of, so it's not a big surprise I didn't catch her. Send me a photo when you have a second...I'll need one to start drafting papers_.'

Tucking his phone away as they neared the Impala, Sam made a mental note to take the picture once they got to the apartment.

Righteous waffled a bit as they approached his prized vehicle. Finally, he looked over at Sam. "Soulful, you and the pixie in the back with her. Jack's up front," he said.

Sam raised an eyebrow at that, but a moment later, it clicked. Sure, they were targets, but right now, they were just collateral. Jack was the primary target here. And from what they'd seen, the kid was pretty trusting, despite his upbringing.

Despite Judgement's grumblings about being called a pixie, they piled into the backseat, with Kate between them, and began the drive to the abandoned apartment that had been used for Judgement's birthday.

It was only a few seconds into the drive that Kate straightened up, then suddenly pulled her right foot up into her lap, starting to remove her shoe and sock. At the slight sounds, Righteous was glancing back via the rear view mirror, frowning. "The hell are you doing?" he demanded.

"She's removing her RFID chip," Jack piped in. That made Righteous stomp the brakes.

"Her what? ...Do you have one??" he demanded.

Jack shook his head. "No, K...Mom, she removed it before we were out of Rome."

Kate looked up from where she was pulling a switch blade from her pants pocket, frowning slightly. "Since when do you call your handler 'Mom?'"

Jack opened his mouth to answer, but Righteous made a dismissing motion with his hand. "Story for another time. Get that chip out. And don't get blood all over my car!"

Kate raised an eyebrow. "Well, so long as I don't nick my Achilles tendon, that shouldn't be a problem," she spoke, a small hint of snark in her tone.

Sam frowned a bit. "...How close is it to the tendon?" he asked.

Kate quirked her lips a bit as she started pressing the blade in, simply giving a shrug in answer. Sam could guess by that, that it was really damned close.

"Jack, there's a small med kit in the glove compartment...hand it here?" Sam supplied as the young woman next to him worked soundlessly on digging the chip out.

Once the device was out, Sam took it with a piece of gauze and dropped it out the window into the street. With that, Righteous began driving once again, while Sam helped Kate to bandage up her foot. There was surprisingly little blood...but that was a good sign. It meant that she definitely had managed to avoid a fatal injury.

At the apartment, Sam had gotten Kate to settle on the sofa, snapped a picture, and sent it on to Celeste.

"...There any food?" Kate asked, glancing in the direction of the kitchen.

Crap.

This was a poorly equipped way point.

Looking over at Righteous, they silently agreed; Rock-Paper-Scissors, loser would go get groceries.

Righteous, as ever, threw scissors. Sam threw rock.

"Ugh, fine," Righteous muttered, turning and leaving the apartment without another word.


	8. Chapter 8

How had they gotten here?

...Maybe this, or something like it, had always been coming. Had always been creeping up on them.

Sam stood, arms crossed, leaning against the metal door frame of the ICU room.

Cas lay on the bed, tubes and IVs stringing from him, leaving almost no room for Dean and Gabriel...though somehow they'd worked their way to either side of the surgeon.

Sam's jaw ticked. He was worried, but he knew he couldn't do anything. Not here. Here...it was Dean and Gabriel that were needed most, should Cas wake.

So he turned, slipping silently from the room.

He'd only made it a few feet before he heard a quiet, "Sam?" behind him.

He turned and, without pause, walked back to Gabriel, who was watching him with an expression of confusion that barely masked the concern over his brother. Sam drew up to him and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "I'm going to end this, Angel. You--"

"Like hell, you're going alone!"

"Not alone. I'm getting Jack, and we're going. You and Dean need to stay here. No, listen," Sam started, as Gabriel opened his mouth to object. "They were in his apartment. They know who we are. You guys have to stay here...between the two of you, you'll be able to keep Cas and Charlie safe."

Gabriel frowned and was silent for a beat before shaking his head. "You can't take the kid. They killed his mom, Sam. He won't be able to keep a level head. He'll get you both killed," he objected.

"I know...I know, but it's either that, or go without back up. And honestly, you and Dean? You'll both be too distracted. ...Dean's heart is here. Your little brother...the last of your brothers, is here. At least Jack's focus will be on making them pay for all they've done," Sam spoke gently.

Gabriel looked away, frowning. Clearly debating things between his heart and his head. Seeing his fiance's jaw clench, he knew that Gabriel was about to acquiesce.

"Fine. I don't like this, Sam. Not at all, but you're right. Go. I'll make sure Deano sees sense, and then I'll...I'll keep an eye on Charlie," he said, not liking the idea of leaving his little brother's side, but not about to leave the red-head in the lurch.

Sam gave a short nod, then reached up, cupping Gabriel's face in his hands and leaning down. He kissed him, long, slow, and full of the love they shared. They parted ever-so-slowly, taking a moment to just breathe one another's air.

"...You better come back to me, Samshine. You..." he started, but he trailed off, a thousand words unspoken in the near-despairing silence.

"I would never willingly leave you. I love you with everything I am. ...Whatever happens, remember that," Sam spoke. He couldn't promise anything, wouldn't lie to Gabriel like that.

Taking a deep breath, his fiance nodded. "Go," he whispered.

A kiss to Gabriel's forehead, and Sam slipped off down the hall.

Jack was sitting a few feet from Charlie's bed, staring at his hands in his lap. Charlie was awake and sitting up, frowning at the silence filling the room. She breathed out a sigh when Sam entered the room.

"Sam...how's Cas?" she asked, adjusting a bit in the bed.

Sam shook his head. "Critical, still. They had to remove several feet of intestine because of the damage," he supplied quietly.

Charlie winced and frowned at the information. "...How's Dean taking it?"

"...I've never seen him like this, Charlie. I always thought that...that if something devastating happened, that...that he'd be the one to keep it together. That I'd be the one to fail at everything our training instilled in us," Sam spoke, frowning as he looked at the wall. Then he shook himself out of it.

"Gabriel's going to be up in a bit. He's taking over watch of you. ...You'll be alone for a little bit. That okay?" Sam asked, looking back at Charlie.

She shot him a confused frown, looking over at Jack (who hadn't moved once), then back at Sam. And then understanding dawned over her face. She opened her mouth, halting short of what she was about to say. A frown appeared, indecisiveness in her eyes, and then she out-and-out scowled at Sam. "You had better be careful. We can't...we can't lose you guys, too," she said, worry and fear in her tone.

Sam gave a weak smile and nodded.

"Jack. Time to go," he spoke up.

At his name, Jack jerked slightly, looking up. It took him a few seconds to realize that Sam was saying for him to leave. He frowned, looking over at Charlie. "I...I need to--"

"Gabriel will be here soon, and Charlie can fend for herself for a few moments, if need be, even with a broken arm. You and I are going. Now, Jack," Sam said.

Jack, still frowning, paused only a moment longer before standing and giving a nod.

Sam led Jack from the hospital to his Prius, waiting where it was barely properly parked. They climbed in, buckled up, and Sam sat back for a moment. "Alright, we started this out by bringing them to us, but we're changing that now. We're going to them. So to start us off, I need an address," he said, moving and plugging his phone into the car charger as he spoke. This was going to be a long drive...at least sixteen hours, if not a touch more.

"There's two locations...a training facility on Palatine Hill, and Central Operations, in Boscho Macchia Grande," Jack answered.

"We're heading for Central Operations, then. Cut off the head of the snake, and the body will flounder," Sam spoke, putting in the directions for the forest in Rome.

How had they gotten here?

He thought it yet again, allowing silence to stretch, for Jack to rest; he'd get details on the facility they were headed to later. For now, he thought back, tried to figure out if there was anything he could've seen, anything he could've done, to prevent what had happened.

As the Prius began eating the miles before them, he first remembered Kate.

Two days after they'd taken her to the abandoned apartment, they'd given her new papers, a new identity, and a destination. The young woman had taken it, paused long enough to get out a word of appreciation, and then she was gone.

That left ten assassins for them to still handle, at that point.

Sam frowned, grip tightening on the wheel. That had to have been the starting point of things going downhill. They were having an easy go of it, and because of that, they weren't vigilant enough. That was the only explanation.

Another team of assassins had shown up. Charlie had counted five, but they were cautious to watch for more, after nearly having been caught out by Kate.

This time, they hadn't bothered to have Jack lure the assassins in alone; the Company knew they were there. Knew that Jack had allies. They just hadn't expected how well the four worked together, after barely more than a month.

There'd been bullets and knives flying like mad. Jack had suffered a wound to his shoulder, when he popped over a barrier to shoot another one of the assassins down.

Sam...his hand had barely recovered from the knife Brian had thrown into it a mere week before. The recoil of his gun had hurt something fierce, but he'd taken down two of the five, all the same.

They slowly called the Clear, eyeing the shadows for any surprise guests. But as they slowly made their way from the building, there was no one.

...No one they had noticed anyway. Sam was pretty sure someone had managed to tail them from the pier, now. How else would they have found their home?

A vision of platinum blonde hair, splattered with brain matter, as pale blue eyes stared sightless up at the ceiling flashed through his mind.

He frowned and, with nothing but miles ahead of him, he delved into the memory.


	9. Chapter 9

Date night, Dean had declared. Sure, both couples went on dates on their own, but every few months, they went on a double date, too. And it was fun...it always was.

They had gone to dinner, then considered a movie. In the end, though, they'd skipped out on it. While their German was decent enough for conversation, they all still had a little difficulty keeping up with the little nuances brought in by films.

Instead, the four of them had taken a long walk along the Spree, talking about this and that.

Gabriel paused suddenly, near an open area for people to sit and talk beside the river. Sam drew up short, and that brought their brothers, not but a couple feet ahead of them, to pause and look back as well.

"Here, Samshine," Gabriel said quietly. Sam blinked, looking from Gabriel to the area. It took a moment, but it struck him.

He couldn't help the warm smile that crossed his lips as he stepped forward, taking his fiance's hand. "What you thinking? Moon high on the water? Or maybe sunset?" he asked.

Gabriel shook his head. "Not sure yet. But it's the perfect spot," he said, finally looking up at Sam. After a moment, he shook his head again. "No...no, I do know. Moonlight, definitely. I wanna marry you here, with the moon lighting up the whole thing." Seeing Sam's puzzled look at his sudden decision, Gabriel chuckled. "S'how I met you, Samshine...lit by moonlight," he spoke gently.

...Not the best memory, but it was one Gabriel apparently cherished all the same. "Then that's what we'll do," Sam said, warmth and love sneaking into his tone.

"Alright, you saps. Let's keep going," Dean interrupted.

Sam flipped him off with his free hand, leaning down and kissing Gabriel lovingly.

There was a short scuffle of shoes, Cas turning away, and then he was walking on ahead, not interfering with their moment. While there was practically no sound, Sam could tell Dean was following suit.

Not too much later, the four made their way back home in the Impala. Dean, as ever, was driving. Sam had been delegated to the back seat, which was hardly comfortable, but right now, he wasn't complaining.

Dean was, though.

"Come on, you guys! Seriously? Wait till we're home!" he fussed.

Sam broke the kiss with Gabriel. Their eyes met, and they were in agreement. Gabe smirked, and Sam grinned before leaning in to the smaller man's neck, kissing and nipping. Gabriel let free a slightly exaggerated, wanton moan.

There was an uncomfortable strained noise from Dean. "Seriously??" he demanded again.

And then Gabriel stage whispered into Sam's ear. "Wanna ride that cock tonight, Sammich."

Sam broke free from his neck, laughing as Dean stomped on the brakes.

"Get out! You horndogs are walking home!"

"Dean," Cas spoke in a flat tone, turning to him with a frown on his lips.

"Cas, don't give me that! How can you listen to them--"

"I'm busy thinking about--"

"Whoa, whoa, I'm sorry! I don't wanna know this, Cassie!" Gabriel said, quickly moving away from Sam as if the distance between them could silence his little brother's plaintive explanation of what he wanted to do with Dean.

It didn't.

"--those purple satin panties you bought last week. I think I'd like to fuck you while you're still wearing them."

After that, they all went silent for a long moment. Finally, Dean cleared his throat and drove the rest of the way home. None of them said a word for the rest of the drive.

They parted in the building with calls to see each other in the morning.

The second Cas and Dean's door closed, Gabriel and Sam were touching each other, teasing and playful as they made their way up to their apartment.

They had just reached the stairs up when a single gunshot rang out, stilling them both.

As one, they turned and started running back the way they'd came. Sam was only a few seconds faster, withdrawing his hidden gun tucked into the back of his pants and under his shirt.

He swept into Cas and Dean's apartment as quickly as he could, rounding the sofa before the scene before him drew him up short.

Cas was in Dean's arms. There was a little girl, bloodied knife in hand, gleeful smile on her lips, light faded from her eyes...brain matter in her hair, the front of her head practically caved in from a close range gun shot wound....

For a second, Sam was sick. But then he looked over at Dean and Cas. And he saw that Cas was seriously injured.

Something clinical in the back of his head rose up, and he grabbed it and pulled it forward, masking the horror of it all.

"...Cassie?" he heard from Gabriel, quiet and strained.

Sam moved around to the side of the doctor that Dean wasn't on, and knelt down. Dean's eyes came up, anger there first, then recognition. And then terror as he looked back down to his boyfriend.

Cas was trying to talk and was weakly coughing up blood.

"Don't talk, Cas. Just focus on breathing. Focus on staying with us. We're going to get you help. Focus on Dean, Cas, alright? Just breathe," Sam instructed. He looked up at Gabriel.

Gabriel was staring without seeing. His mind wasn't here. It was...well, it could've been a number of places, but Sam had a guess. He moved to Gabriel, cupping his face in his hands. "Come on, Gabe. We need you. I need you. You can do this. He's not going to die, he won't...but you have to be with us for this. I need you," Sam spoke encouragingly.

It worked...barely took a few seconds before Gabriel's eyes were focusing. Determination lit them.

"Go get the car. Hurry. Once Dean has Cas in, drive for the hospital. Don't wait on me, there's no time," Sam supplied. A short nod, and Gabriel was gone in a blur.

Dean's turn.

He stepped over and knelt next to his brother, happy to see Cas was obeying instruction. The injured man was carefully breathing, and staring up at Dean. The look in his eyes was unfathomable.

Sam put a hand on Dean's shoulder. "Come on, De. We gotta get him out of here. We gotta do it now, Dean. Gabriel's got the car by the door."

Dean didn't respond.

So Sam breathed out a sigh and put authority in his tone. "Dean! Get him to the car!" he snapped.

That worked. Dean had jerked slightly, but he was standing and lifting Cas in his arms in one swift move. And he was moving quickly, too...out the door and gone from the hallway by the time Sam stepped out of the apartment.

Sam's eyes went from the direction Dean had gone, to the stairs at the opposite end of the hall. They had been compromised. Time to see just how badly.

Gun held at the ready, Sam moved up the stairs as swiftly as he could, to the third floor, where Charlie, Kelly, and Jack had their apartments.

Charlie was in the hallway, laying on her arm at an odd angle. He could see she was breathing as he neared, and relaxed slightly.

There was a clatter inside of her apartment and Sam pushed the door open from where it was already standing ajar.

Kelly was on the floor, far too much blood around her.

In the nearby kitchen, Jack was fighting a thin-haired blonde man, a look of pure fury on his face.

But the man was gaining the upper hand. Probably because he was egging Jack on in his nasally voice, saying something about how sweetly Kelly had screamed for him.

Sam shot him in the leg. He wasn't going to take the kill from Jack.

The man went down on one knee, eyes wide in surprise, right before Jack stuck a dagger into his right eye socket.

The man was dead for a good few seconds before his body caught up and he slumped to the side. By that point, Jack's gaze had already found Kelly.

"...Mom?" he spoke quietly, starting to make for her.

Sam quickly stepped in the way. "She's gone, Jack. She's gone. I'm sorry, she's gone."

Jack went still, taking a shallow breath. Slowly, he looked up to Sam, desperation in his eyes. "I...I just got her."

"No. You always had her, Jack. You always had her, even if you didn't know it. She loved you. You know that, right? She loved you...but she's gone now, and we have to keep moving. It's going to hurt. It's going to hurt for a long time. But...but we're here. We're here to help you through this. You're family now, Jack. And we'll take care of you."

Jack's eyes were shining, but he didn't shed any tears. Not now, anyway. He just nodded for a second, before looking at the dead assassin on the floor. "Alistair," he supplied quietly. And then his eyes were snapping up. "Alistair was Lilith's handler! We have to--"

"She's already dealt with. ...Cas was hurt. Gabriel and Dean went ahead with him to the hospital. Now you and I need to take Charlie," Sam told him quietly.

"Charlie's alive?" Jack spoke, concern and relief mixing in his tone.

Sam nodded, and soon they were in his Prius, heading to the hospital, Charlie unconscious in the backseat.


	10. Chapter 10

A soft sound pulled Sam from his musings. Asleep in the seat next to him, Jack had shifted slightly to try and gain a bit of comfort against the unforgiving car door.

Sam spared him a glance before turning his gaze back to the road.

There had been nothing...nothing that he could've done to prevent what had happened. Short of sending a message back in time, there was just nothing that he could change. He knew it.

But it didn't make the weight of it all any less. It didn't ease the ache in his heart for the life Cas clung to...for the brightness lost that had been Kelly.

He glanced at the dash clock, then the gas gauge. The repetitive swirl of memories he'd allowed himself to wallow in had eaten up a couple of hours, and about half of their gas. The tank hadn't been full to begin with, and was now down to a quarter. Another hour, and he'd have to stop off to refuel.

His eyes went to the navigation app on his phone, and he noticed a notification at the top. A text message. He frowned, considering, then swiped it down, tapping.

' _Not cool._ ' from Dean.

Followed by another a few minutes later, ' _Be safe, Bitch._ '

Sam smirked slightly, switching back to his navigation app and not answering. Because that would be unsafe, despite the open, empty road ahead. It would busy soon enough, though. The darkness was drawing in, trying to strengthen itself against the light that would soon breach the horizon and spill over the hills and fields, over the road, bringing the activity of waking life with it.

Sam wondered, vaguely, which he was in this scenario. Was he that darkness, about to be cast out by the light? Would he and Jack fail and leave their family behind?

Or was he the breaking dawn...would he be able to rid the world of this evil, if only for a time?

He was thinking too deeply, and he knew it. Usually he had distraction from these deep seated thoughts, in the form of his family.

Right now, though...he had to focus. He had given himself long enough time to dwell, now it was time to focus on the task at hand. There were five more assassins, and maybe even their handlers, that had to be taken care of. Plus any guards or security that stood in their way. It would be a tough call on who to spare and when, when it came to the people just doing their jobs. He supposed he'd offer every last one of them the same options; walk or die. Some would choose to die...would think they could overcome Jack and himself, would do their job. And it would cost them. Sam frowned to himself. How many of those people would believe what they were doing was right, was good? He couldn't imagine they all knew just what they were doing, other than keeping outsiders away. Or maybe they did?

It didn't matter. As much as he hated the thought of killing someone innocent...he and Jack had to destroy the Company.

Charlie had dug into the background that Kelly had given her, during the past couple of weeks. And she came up with less in the way of corrupt politicians, and more in the way of vague conflicts of interest on political topics. Some of the people targeted had been out-and-out good, never accepting so much as a bribe...but perhaps that had been their undoing in the first place. Not that Sam thought any of the Company's victims were to blame...not at all. They had been going about their lives, standing for what they believed in...and they'd been killed for it.

Enough was enough, now that the Saviors had caught on to them, on to their movements...and especially now that the Company had dared to attack them. Sure, turn about was fair play, but not when innocent lives were on the line. Not when Cas, a doctor, a healer through and through, was currently on life support because of them.

They wanted war? Fine. They had it. And in fourteen hours, it'd be on their doorstep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys...sorry for not posting for a couple of days. Decided to take the weekend all to myself and be super lazy.  
> Also, sorry this chapter is kinda short....

Just a bit over an hour later, and Jack's eyes were opening as Sam drove off onto what his navigation app called a 'slip road.'

Call him super-American or whatever, but he still called them exits.

"Hey," Sam said, seeing Jack stir. "Pit stop. Gas, bathroom...drinks, snacks," he explained, looking back to the road.

Sam saw Jack nod in his peripheral vision. "I am thirsty," the teen supplied after a few seconds.

Pulling in to a pump, Sam directed Jack ahead to use the restroom and pick out what he wanted, while he got the gas.

Walking in after he was done filling the car's tank, he made for the bathroom without bothering much with the layout of the store. Once he was out, he found Jack in the candy aisle, staring at a candy bar, hand hovering halfway between himself and the chocolate. Sam neared and spotted the bar in question.

It brought back a memory only four days past.

_Jack and Kelly had joined them all in the apartment for an impromptu movie night. With a sofa, two loveseats, and a sofa chair, there was enough room for them all to crowd around the TV._

_The movie had been paused while Gabriel and Sam went to get more snacks for everyone. In the kitchen, the popcorn in the microwave, Sam hadn't been able to resist infiltrating Gabriel's space and kiss the back of his neck. When Gabriel's head tilted to the side in invitation, Sam's hands found their way to his fiance's stomach, holding him close as he started kissing down the side of Gabriel's neck, tasting his delicious skin. Salty, as all skin was, but with a tinge of sweetness to it that was indescribable._

_They both froze at the sound of a wrapper crinkling. Sam pulled away, turning to see Jack...in Gabriel's cupboard candy stash (one of many such stashes)._

_"...You little imp! That's mine!" Gabriel called out. It was pretty much a war cry as he lunged at the teen._

_Jack, eyes wide, dodged the tackle, holding the candy bar up defensively. "I like these!" he protested._

_"Still not yours!" Gabriel said, trying to swipe the bar from the assassin._

_Ultimately, it turned into an impromptu sparring match, until Gabriel halted, noticing he had an audience._

_The rest of their family had come to see what the commotion was, and every one of them had amused smiles on their faces._

_"What's the matter, there, pixie? Can't ya just reach it?" Dean taunted._

"We'll make it back, right?" Jack suddenly spoke, cutting through Sam's reminiscing. He looked over to see Jack now holding the bar, eyes looking up at him in question.

Sam took a breath and considered what to say. He considered what could wind up being a lie, an, 'Of course!' ...But he dismissed that. Jack had been lied to by the Company, he didn't deserve that from family. "I don't know," he found himself saying. "But we are going to fight like hell so that we can. Got it?"

Jack gave a nod. He didn't seem dissatisfied with Sam's response, so Sam counted it as a win.

Once they were back on the road, Sam went ahead and prompted Jack to give details of the layout of the Central Operations building.

"The building is square in shape, with three entrance-exits on each side. There is only one level to the building, but it's a bit of a maze inside. Navigating it is only something that you learn with time. There's an outside track to the hallways, but several corridors leading into the center. Most of it is weapons development, some of it research...but the Director's office is in the very center of it all," the assassin supplied.

Sam grimaced. Even if they did make it in that far...there was no guarantee that'd they make it back out. Especially after they took out this Director.

Speaking of which, "What can you tell me about the Director?"

Jack shook his head. "I've never seen him, never had cause to. I think only three of the teams ever have."

Great. Well, hopefully they didn't have to worry about this Director didn't try to pull a switch-out here, and replace himself with someone else.

They fell silent after that as Sam considered what little information Jack had provided.

When they were six hours out, Sam pulled over. Jack had gotten another nap in, and Sam switched out with him, having the teen take over driving while he got a few hours in. They both needed to be as rested and alert as possible for this.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting a chapter yesterday...I'm having nausea issues.
> 
> There probably won't be a chapter tomorrow, just to warn y'all. Got errands after work, so unless I can manage to churn one out during work, there probably won't be one. Sorry!

With barely more than an hour to go, Jack woke Sam.

Sam sat up fully, rubbed at his face, and relaxed into his seat, allowing the teen to continue the drive while he gathered his thoughts.

"Alright. With any luck, they're not expecting us. ...Which I'm seriously doubting. But if they aren't...how long would it take for reinforcements to get there once we enter the facility?" Sam asked.

"Reinforcements would be coming from Palatine Hill...the training facility doubles as barracks for the assassins and handlers. So...about 45 minutes, maybe?" Jack responded.

Sam nodded. "...We may as well breach through one of the front entrances. I have a feeling the entire area is monitored closely, so there's no point in trying to sneak in a side entrance."

To this, Jack nodded in confirmation, in regards to the surveillance, and in agreement to the plan.

It wasn't much longer after that, that they were parking on the edges of the forest. It was dark once again, and he'd be following Jack through the forest to the building.

They went to the car's trunk together, opening the false bottom and starting to load up on weapons and ammo. Two pistols each. Four daggers for Jack, three knives for Sam. And then an AR-15 for each of them. The extra ammo they packed into duffel bags, one for each of them.

As they finished loading themselves up, Sam paused, looking at Jack. "Take a moment. Find a memory. Happy, calm...whatever, just one that you can ground yourself in. Dean, Gabe, and I...we do it for particularly bad marks we go after, when we expect that we'll need that mindset to fall back on and get us through it all," he instructed. Jack blinked, looking curious, but he nodded, his eyes focusing away from Sam as he began to do just what he'd been told.

Sam sighed softly, looking down at the ground, delving into his own memories.

_They had just moved into Berlin, assuming their new identities. They'd taken half an hour at Cas' house to pack up, and jumped on the first flight out. For Sam and Dean, that hadn't been much._

_But for Gabriel.... He stood in the doorway of the bedroom, watching as his boyfriend was unpacking a box in the living room. The violets he'd left for Gabriel so long ago were setting dead center of a console table against the wall, and there were various little objects being placed around it. But right now, Gabriel had paused, staring at something in his hands. From where he stood, he could see the edges of a picture frame. Curious, he moved over behind Gabriel._

_It was telling, how used to him Gabriel was becoming, when he leaned back into Sam as the other serial killer wrapped his arms around his waist, setting his chin on top of Gabriel's head, looking down at the picture. "...Your brothers?" he asked quietly._

_"Mm," Gabriel let out in quiet affirmation. "And Dad, of course," he said, gesturing to the far left of the men in the picture. They all looked so young, and Sam wished he could see Gabriel in the picture, too. See what he looked like back then. But he was pretty sure that it was Gabriel that had taken the picture. "_ _Dad, Lucien, Michael, Raphael...and of course, little Cassie. He was barely 12 back then," his boyfriend spoke, fingers ghosting over the glass that covered the picture._

_Sam was quiet with Gabriel for a few moments after that, while Gabriel stared into his past. Finally, he moved, kissing the crown of Gabriel's head. "Put it to the left of the flowers. Tomorrow, you, Dean, Cas, Charlie, and I...we'll go out. We'll take a picture of our family as it is now, and then we're going to put that one on the right. Mkay?"_

_Gabriel didn't so much as nod as he set the photo to the left of the flowers as instructed. And then he was turning in Sam's arms, reaching up to drape his arms over the taller man's shoulders. "Gods, but I love you," he whispered. Sam's response had been a slow kiss, tender and full of the burgeoning love they shared._

That love had started strong...and now? Now it was so much **more**. Calm settled over him, along with determination. He would make it back to Gabriel. He wouldn't leave him, or their family.

They were far past the pedestrian areas of the forest now. Seeing in the dark of the night was difficult, made moreso by the canopy of trees blocking out the sky above. All the same, it was easy to see Jack shifting his posture, readying the AR-15 where it hung around his shoulder. Sam followed suit, understanding that this meant they were close.

Three minutes later, they broke the tree line to an absurd amount of light in a clearing. In the middle of that clearing stood the building that was so clearly the Central Operations they were making their way to.

And their first hurdle.

The front of the building had a line of hounds stretched in front of it, all shifting and pawing the ground at the sight of Sam and Jack. Near the center of the line stood a portly man, dressed in a suit, his hand scritching at the ears of what was easily the largest of all these hounds...and none of them were small to begin with.

Jack didn't hesitate as he continued forward, so Sam followed, barely a breath of a step behind him, practically at his side. The teen knew what to expect here, and Sam was readily following his lead on this.

The assassin only stopped when they were roughly six to seven feet from the line. The man across from them had watched their approach with a blatant, almost pompous, smirk twisting his lips.

"Jack," he greeted when they had stopped.

Something about the set of Jack's shoulders lost a hint of tension at the greeting, but Sam didn't look over, didn't speak, did not take his eyes off the suited man.

"Crowley. I like your hounds, Crowley. Love Juliet. And I'm sure that ultimately, they could get to me, could tear me apart like they have so many...but I really don't want to have to kill any of them," Jack spoke carefully.

Crowley's brows raised, but not in disbelief. In consideration. His eyes then moved from Jack to the dog under his hand. Silence reigned for a long moment, and then the man huffed a sigh. "You will, of course, make sure the job is done? If I walk, and it is left unfinished, I will have to drastically alter my lifestyle, and you know I just cannot have that," he spoke, looking up to Jack again.

It was Sam that answered, however. "This ends tonight. We're not leaving any chance of danger to our family."

Crowley's sharp, shrewd eyes moved to Sam. Considering, again. "Hmph. No, I suppose you won't."

And then the man was tossing something to Jack. The assassin caught it in his left hand easily.

"You'll find your key has long been deactivated. Go get 'em, boys," Crowley drawled. Then he let out a sharp whistle. As one, he and the hounds moved forward and around Jack and Sam, heading for the treeline.

Once the dogs and Crowley were past, Jack moved forward with the thick block of metal, heading for the center door. Sam followed after swiftly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And finally, sorry about this chapter being lackluster. But I'm going with Crowley having self preservation instincts and a deep love for his hounds.


	13. Chapter 13

Jack held the thick rectangular key up to a small panel beside the door. It lit up green and Jack made a small gesture to Sam with his head. _Step back_. Then he pulled open the door, stepping back with it to keep as a barrier between him and whatever came their way.

What came was a barrage of bullets, very obviously fired off in a hasty sort of panic. It didn't take long for them to subside, and Sam could make out the distant sound of people trying to reload weapons. He moved then, before even Jack could, gun raised as he stepped through the doorway. Ten men, obviously guards, hands shaking as they worked to reload, all looked up as one, and Sam moved to the side of the door so Jack could follow.

"Two options, walk or die!" he barked out. By the time he finished talking, though, one of the steadier guards was raising his gun. Though triple tap was ingrained in him, he only fired off a single round, hitting between the man's eyes. He dropped without a sound, other than a thump of flesh on ceramic tile.

The other guards stilled. There was fear permeating them. Not wanting to waste precious time, Sam repeated, "Walk, or die."

Beside him, Jack slowly moved to the other side of the open doorway, clearing a route. This seemed to get through to the guard near to the end of the far right of the line. He moved, slowly, setting his half-loaded gun onto the ground, then started forward, uncertainty in every step. The other guards watched as he made his way out of the building. Once the guard was on the other side of the threshold, the others quickly dropped their weapons, following swiftly after the first. Once the last of them was out the door, Jack closed it behind them, ensuring that their back was protected.

Sam wanted to breathe out a breath of relief, but he knew better. He looked to Jack and nodded forward. _Lead the way_.

They ran into more guards as they proceeded deeper into the building. None of them wound up as smart as the first group had been, but they went down more easily than Sam would've thought, all the same.

Further they went, turning here and there, with almost no rhyme or reason. Jack seemed to know where they were going, though, and Sam made sure to keep an eye on their tail to make sure no one could sneak up on them.

It couldn't be that easy, though. They turned another corner and Jack drew up short, almost making Sam run into him. The serial killer managed to swiftly move to his side instead, however, and took in the two women standing in the hall in front of them. One was shorter, with tight blonde waves that were dark at the root, face heart shaped with a sweet plumpness to her cheeks. She was smiling at Jack, though her eyes sang of regret. "Hey ya, pipsqueak," she spoke.

The other was a few inches taller, long red hair pulled back into a high ponytail. Her eyes were sharp, predatory, vicious, her lips twisted into a cruel smirk. "Spawn," she greeted in a purr, the smirk turning into a grin that would make a shark jealous.

"Abaddon. Meg," Jack spoke, his voice noticeably cooler as he spoke the first name.

When he said nothing else, Sam spoke up, giving the same two options they'd given everyone they'd run across so far. "Walk or die."

When he spoke, the red head--Abaddon--looked at him. Something lit up in her eyes, and she looked like a cat with a mouse. Great.

Meg, however, just smiled at Jack, all the more beatifically, if not more sadly. "No can do, kid."

Like it had been a signal, a cue, Abaddon **moved**. She was in Sam's space before he could retrain his weapon, knocking it to the side and hitting him in the dead center of the chest so hard that it actually sent him sprawling back a few feet. Fuck!

He could hear other noise as he focused on the red headed assassin, knew that Jack was fighting Meg, but also knowing that if he dared to let his guard drop for a second, he was dead.

Abaddon had a cruel looking knife between one second and the next, lunging again, and Sam released his AR-15 as he rolled, the strap easily slipping from his shoulder. He let the duffel slip from his other shoulder as he pushed himself up swiftly, whirling all at the same time as he put more distance between his aggressor and himself. He was now back around the corner they'd turned barely a moment before. He couldn't see Jack or Meg...just Abaddon as she stalked forward, grinning. There was a hint of insanity brewing in the back of her gaze, and Sam swiftly drew the largest of his knives from its sheath at the back of his pants.

"I'm going to have so much fun carving you into pieces," the woman purred. Sam didn't bother responding, trying to get a read on her body, on her cues and tells. All the same, he missed whatever it was that had her lunging again, lashing out with that knife of hers, managing a swipe at his chest. He had a denim jacket on over a black shirt, but the knife was sharp enough that it cut through the denim, in addition to the black shirt, and of course, his skin.

He grimaced, his knife held low, and stepped forward as her arm swung out from the attack. He could see in the corner of his eyes as her hand expertly flipped the knife, moving to swing back for a deeper stab. But his knife was already coming up. He couldn't manage much at this angle. Maybe stab into her belly, but it wouldn't be enough to stop the blow coming toward him. So he thrust the blade up and to the side, moving to meet her arm as it came in low.

Her blade sank into the outside of his thigh. His sank into the inside of her forearm, just below the elbow.

She **shrieked** and released her own blade, trying to pull away from his. Sam wasn't about to let her go that easily, though. He yanked hard on the blade, flaying it down and through her arm with a savage viciousness he really hadn't been aware he possessed. The blade wasn't dull, either, and didn't meet much resistance in the flesh as it ripped through meat, muscle, and vessels. He'd rendered that arm useless with the move, and he finally yanked the blade free.

_Gabriel. A photograph. A tender kiss._

The woman's eyes were all fury, not seeming to care about the pain, as she bared her teeth in his face. Her good arm was reaching for another blade, he could see it.

"Should've walked," he said simply, bringing the knife up and through the side of her neck.

Abaddon spasmed, still trying to reach for a blade, still trying to fight...still trying to **kill**. But when Sam yanked the blade free, she fell like a puppet with no strings, light and fight already fading from her eyes.

Yanking her blade free of his thigh with a grunt, he stepped over her body, moving back around the corner. Jack stood there, staring down at a face that still held the hint of a smile. Gone was rosy tint to the cheeks...too much blood was flowing around the body for it to be anything but pale. In that silence, Sam knew. This person...this hadn't been just a friend like the other assassins. This one...had been more. Sam wasn't sure what was there, but given all he knew of Jack, he suspected it was a kinship.

He said nothing, merely gripped the teen's shoulder for a moment. Then he gave a squeeze and pulled away, letting Jack come back to himself. It barely took more than a few seconds before the assassin was squaring his shoulders again and leading the way forward.


	14. Chapter 14

After that, there was no more resistance. Though Sam was sure there should be more guards somewhere, another two or three assassins waiting in the wings...there wasn't.

It was only another four hallways before Jack halted in front of a pair of solid oak double doors; they stood out, as all the other doors in the place had been solid white, likely metal, and just singular.

Jack stared at the doors for a moment, then looked up at Sam uncertainly, and a bit expectantly. Sam realized that he didn't know what to do here...Jack was used to a plan out of the serial killers. And before that, he'd had a handler in his ear, guiding him every step of the way.

Sam's eyes went to the door as he focused his thoughts. Absently, he wiped his blade against his pants, tucking it back into its sheath.

He nodded, to himself, then looked at Jack. "Stay out here and keep guard. I'll deal with the Director. Jack, is that okay with you?" he asked, unsure if the teen wanted to kill the man responsible for turning the only home he'd ever known against himself and his mother.

Jack looked back at the door again, head tilted slightly with a vague air of uncertainty remaining about him. After a moment, it left and he gave a nod. "I trust you, Sam," he answered, stepping back and out of the way. "Be careful."

Sam nodded. As one, they both withdrew pistols, Jack turning his back to the door to keep an eye on the halls. Sam moved forward, opening the door and slipping silently inside.

He stilled, just inside the doorway, just short of shutting the door.

A man set at a large executive desk, hair and scruffy beard lightly peppered with gray. He was sitting in a plush high back desk chair, obviously sinking down in it a bit, his feet propped up on the desk near the far right side of it, crossed at the ankles. It was obvious he knew Sam was there, but he hadn't looked up at him. Instead, he was staring into a glass of scotch over which his hand lingered, swirling the liquid inside.

Something about him was...vaguely familiar. Why?

Sam slowly, silently shut the door. Though it made no sound as it closed, the man still looked up once Sam released it. Their eyes met, and the man smiled broadly, and....

Holy shit.

_Gabriel. A photograph. A tender kiss._

"What is this?" Sam breathed out.

The man's smile moved swiftly into a smirk that was familiar, but looked wrong all at the same time, even if it gave way to the obvious familial ties.

_Gabriel. A photograph. A tender kiss._

_Dammit, Sam, focus!_

"Come, have a seat, Sam. I think it's time we talk," Chuck Shurley spoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, and totally not-sorry, for the cliff hanger here. Very sorry for the extremely short chapter, though. Anyway, I'll pump out the next chapter tomorrow, guys. Be patient with me, mkay?


	15. Chapter 15

To his credit, Sam only staggered for a single step. Because whatever the hell this was, it involved Gabriel. It was important. And so, he found his focus coming back sharply. For this, he was grateful.

He slid into the left of the two arm chairs on the opposite side of the desk from Chuck. From the Director.

"What is this?" he spoke again, voice no longer the ghost of a whisper, but firm and calm.

That smirk twisted Chuck's lips again, and the man looked down to his scotch once more.

Sam expected an explanation of what he was doing here, how Gabriel and Castiel's father had come to be here and be this. Did he even know or care what had happened to Cas at the hands of Lilith?

So he was shocked when the next words had nothing to do with the man's sons...but to do with Sam himself. "I was Azazel's handler."

Azazel...the man that Sam and Dean's father had abandoned them in a hotel for, for four days, to track down and kill. John's first non-combat kill. The man that they had never had very much information on to begin with, the man that John was exceedingly reluctant to talk about, the man they'd been given the barest hint of information about. Sam realized all of a sudden that maybe that hadn't been his father's reluctance to talk about his wife's murderer, but rather his own lack of information.

He reigned in his shock. He considered asking questions about what Azazel had been doing there, in Sam's nursery. He considered stony silence to force the man to talk.

He'd want to know later. He knew he would. But in that moment, he decided that whatever it was, in the face of Gabriel and Castiel's last living family, it didn't matter.

"Why did you leave your sons?" he asked, voice still a well of calm, though the sound of it almost surprised himself.

Chuck looked up at Sam in surprise, as though he'd expected Sam to willingly follow the conversation he'd started. But it was only there for a flash, before his expression very carefully schooled into something that almost looked like regret. If Sam weren't well versed in reading people, he would've thought it to be regret.

"Mm. I became Director. That's hardly the reason I left, of course. No, I left because Michael found out about the business and tried to force his way in. My foolish eldest son...always so determined to be the favorite. He showed me his first couple of kills, and I could see in those that he'd never have what it takes to excel. He'd have been mediocre at best. I told him as much. ...That was a spectacular blowout," the man spoke. He paused, and there...there, Sam could see, was a small amount of genuine pain. "And then he butchered my clever Lucien." In that, Sam heard a million things. Raphael's death didn't matter. Castiel, Gabriel...didn't matter. Lucien had been the son he loved. And his death had been a blow. Not a punch to the gut, but a pack of C4, destroying the only tie to the rest of his children, severing him from them. Lucien had been the only reason he'd bothered to stick around in the first place. With his death, there was no other reason to be there. "I didn't bother with the rest," the man finished, only further confirming what Sam read in his words, in his tone.

There was nothing more to be said there. Whatever had followed, this man, he didn't care to know. And Sam...Sam was internally furious. The rage burned more than anything he'd ever felt in his life. He wanted to explode, he wanted to rant about all that Gabriel, and even Castiel, had suffered. But there was no point. If anything, it'd probably only serve to humor this man.

So, Sam circled back to the initial conversation for distraction. "Azazel," he said simply.

Chuck smirked, like this had all been a part of his plan. Perhaps it was. No matter.

"Did you know your mother had been an assassin?" Sam was shocked at the words, but he carefully showed nothing. He just sat and stared, withholding his rage, withholding his shock, getting what information he could out of this man. When Sam remained silent and devoid of reaction, Chuck scowled slightly like someone had just taken away his favorite toy. "Mm. Anyway...she slipped away from the previous Director somehow, but Azazel and I found her, hiding out in a crap town in the US...with a family, of all things!" Here he laughed, like it was a grand joke. "I dug a bit, found your father's past. Marine, with a classified section of folder. Very hush-hush. Not that that stopped my prying eyes. Mm, but I'm getting away from the point. She had children. Dean, and you, Sam. We thought about taking both of you, training you both up to be assassins...and we would've, if I hadn't already had my own children, already been certain that Dean would wind up remembering his mother in one way or another. Azazel booked an argument to take him for his own predilections, of course, but once I made the point that getting you out of the house without alerting Mary was already going to be difficult enough, he let it go. In the end, he still botched the job, and your very determined father made certain he didn't get far afterward."

He said it all like he was talking about the weather. Like he hadn't just ripped the rug out from under Sam. Like he hadn't built and destroyed Gabriel and Castiel's lives.

Sam's rage ballooned, and he almost swayed with the force of it. Almost. He was careful to keep it all in, all hidden.

"...You know what happens now," Sam spoke, voice still calm, almost eerily so if he said so himself, as he stood.

"You're not going to kill me, Sam. I'm not yours to kill. Do tell Gabriel I said hello, wouldn't you?" Chuck spoke, taking a sip of his scotch, humor laced in his eyes.

At that, Sam's eyes moved to the far wall, to a painting there...not that he was really looking at it. Chuck was right, and Sam knew it. Sam knew it, but....

_Gabriel. A photograph. A tender kiss._

Anchored.

_Gabriel. A photograph. A tender kiss._

Calm.

_Gabriel. A photograph. A tender kiss._

Protective.

He wouldn't let this man destroy Gabriel's heart like this. Even if they could track him back down again...he wouldn't make Gabriel do it. Wouldn't watch the agony he'd have to go through.

Gabriel's emotions were always running high, so carefully controlled. Killing his father, discovering all of this...it was going to destroy him just hearing it second-hand.

Sam gave a short nod to himself, then looked back at Chuck.

"I'll tell him you said goodbye."

Chuck's shock was barely there before the three shots were in him. Two in the heart, one in the head.

Sam watched with a vague sense of detachment as the body slumped sideways, the scotch glass falling to the rug beneath the chair.

All that was left now, was the fallout.


	16. Chapter 16

This was bad. He knew it was bad.

How?

Because he was numb.

Sam had gathered Jack, and they'd left. There'd been just a couple of guards after that, but Sam had shot them wordlessly. He knew that he shouldn't have, that he should've given them the same option as all the others...but he hadn't. He'd killed them without a second thought, and walked away.

He and Jack had only paused long enough to pick up what they'd brought in with them, and headed out of the building. Without a word between them, they made the trek back through the forest, back into civilian areas, back to the car. Sam opened the trunk, their ammo and weapons went in, he closed the trunk, and they got into the car. Sam in the driver's seat, Jack in the passenger seat.

Sam was, right now, carefully keeping himself from anything other than one singular train of thought. And that train of thought was all tied up in leaving. In getting away from here, away from the scene of his crime.

It was just over an hour later when he stopped. They needed gas.

Jack had remained silent the whole time. Like he knew not to speak...or maybe he was just lost in his own thoughts and emotions. Sam knew he should care. At the second, he couldn't.

The former assassin headed inside the gas station, and Sam authorized the pump, starting to fill the gas tank.

He took a deep breath as the numbers climbed...and then let it out. With it, he released the tight reigns he had on his thoughts.

Fuck. Fuck, this was going to end them. He couldn't keep this from Gabriel...would never keep it from him. But he didn't see Gabriel forgiving him for this. His father, in the rare moments that his fiance spoke of the man, had been a source of confusion and pain for him. Once he knew the truth...once he knew that Sam had taken away his right to the man's fate....

Sam was pretty certain Gabriel wasn't going to forgive him.

There was an almost sharp ache in his chest at that. _What had he done?_

_Stop it. Stop it, you know it would've destroyed him if he'd had to have been the one to pull the trigger._

And there was no doubt in Sam's mind; Chuck Shurley had had to die.

The pump stopped, triggered by a backflow of gas as the tank reached full. He topped it off and hung the pump back up, heading into the gas station after Jack.

He'd rather lose Gabriel, than have his fiance's heart decimated.

Didn't mean that it didn't hurt, the anticipation of what was coming.

When he entered the building, he saw Jack hanging back near to the register with a bag of chips, a candy bar, and a soda in his hands. Their eyes met and Sam mentally kicked himself. The kid was lost in there. Sam stepped forward to him, reaching up and sliding a hand around the back of the teen's neck, pulling him forward. Jack stumbled a step into Sam's chest, confusion flaring from his eyes before his face was being pressed into Sam's sternum. Sam smiled slightly at it. "It's alright, Jack. We're your family now. Whatever else happens, Cas, Dean, Gabe, Charlie, me...we'll be there with you for it. I know sometimes its hard to see past the next minute, the next day...but whatever it is, you're not alone for it," he supplied.

Jack was stiff against him for a long moment...and then he was relaxing forward. Sam let them stay like that for a long moment, before drawing his hand away from Jack's neck, patting his shoulder and pulling away. Their eyes met again and Sam shot him a warm smile. The former assassin looked a good bit less lost, and Sam left him there for the moment to gather a bottle of water and a pack of cashews for himself. They paid and retreated to the car, heading back onto the road.

With more stops for bathroom breaks and snacks, and another for gas, they pulled into the hospital many hours later.

He knew he was stalling. But he couldn't face Gabriel yet. Not yet! Just a bit longer...just a bit longer before he broke them apart forever.

"Go on...tell them its done. I'm going to go clean our apartments up. And Jack? I'll make sure your Mom is buried somewhere nice, alright?" Sam said, eyes never leaving the building in front of them.

"Sam...?" Jack spoke. There was a question in his voice. They'd barely spoken the entire way back, but Jack...perceptive teen. He knew something was off, wrong.

Sam shook his head, eyes moving to the steering wheel. "It's nothing," _just the end of everything_ , "go on."

Jack left the car, and Sam pulled out, heading to clean up the bodies and blood in their apartment building.

"I'm sorry," he found himself whispering to Kelly's body. Rigor mortis had set in, and was already starting to fade from her. He carried her down to his car. "Don't worry. Jack will be safe now," he continued, whispering it to the dead body, the empty mind, the ears that would never hear the words.

If there was anything of her lingering, though, he wanted her to know. Her son was safe now. And once it all came crashing down on him, the loss he'd suffered...the killers would be there to help him through it.

Because even if he and Gabriel were done, they were still family. Still tied together. They'd keep Jack safe, they'd help him...even if they couldn't be together to do it.

He could feel his phone going off in his pocket. He ignored it as he settled Kelly's body into the back seat of his car.

Next were the bodies of the assassins. They were both unceremoniously dumped into the trunk.

He hated scrubbing up blood, he decided. It wasn't like he'd ever really had to before, either.

In Dean and Cas' apartment, he'd had to pull the area rug under the living room furniture out and toss it. There was no saving it. Other than that, he did a pretty good job of clean up, if he said so himself. He was pretty positive there was no sign, other than the missing rug, of what had happened there.

All the same, he found himself wondering if it was pointless. He had a feeling his brother was going to walk into the apartment, see the memory of what had happened, and declare they were moving. ...But at least the lack of blood would make packing easier.

Cleaning Charlie's apartment was harder. Kelly had left behind a good bit of the life-sustaining substance. And there was a bit from the asshole that'd killed her, too. He'd scrubbed and scrubbed, but there was still obvious dark stains to the already dark wood. Charlie would definitely want out of here.

Lastly, he took the bodies out. Kelly he buried on a hill, near some flowering bushes. The other bodies he dumped in the deepest part of a landfill.

Having done what he could, he went home and cleaned himself up before he checked his phone.

_What the hell happened Sammy?_

_Dammit, Sam! I know something's up! Answer me!_

_Gabriel's worried._

Three texts from Dean.

_Samshine?_

Just one from Gabriel.

He breathed out a sigh. Time to go to the hospital...time to face this.

_I love you._

He sent it to Gabriel. The last text he'd ever send him. He wanted Gabriel to know it, to remember it. It was selfish, but he didn't want Gabriel to ever doubt it.

With that, he got back in the car and drove for the hospital.


	17. Chapter 17

He'd been right. He'd suspected, but entering the ICU room, he found he was right. With Jack's return, the assassin was obviously sitting with Charlie once again, leaving Gabriel to return to his brother's room.

Dean and Gabriel both looked up at him within seconds of him entering. Dean looked like utter shit. Any other time, Sam would've commented on it. Seemed Dean knew that, if the frown crossing his face was any indication.

Gabriel stood and moved over, not looking any better than Dean, really.

His fiance reached for him, and Sam...he almost stopped him. Almost. Ultimately, he stepped forward, taking just one last moment. He held him close, kissed his forehead.

_Just a second, just one more--_

"Sammy?" Dean's voice came.

Sam had no idea what was crossing over his face, through his eyes, but he could hear the concern and confusion from Dean.

_This wouldn't be something he'd recognize out of me. Even after Ruby, it wasn't like this. That...that had been self-loathing. Not heartbreak._

He felt Gabriel trying to pull away, to see, but he clung more tightly. _Just one more second!_

But he couldn't draw it out. He had to let go. Putting on his most reassuring smile, pouring things he didn't feel into it, he let go of Gabriel and gently pushed him back toward his brother's side.

There was a curious sort of confusion on his fiance's face...

He had no right to think of Gabriel that way anymore.

Gabriel had taken his seat again, sitting across it and watching Sam. He'd seen something cross Gabriel's face, saw his mouth open to speak, but Sam quickly shook his head, keeping whatever he was about to speak from coming out.

Sam brought his eyes to Castiel. Still so still on the bed, but...did he have a bit more color to his cheeks now? He hoped so.

"The Director was Chuck Shurley," he spoke. Bandaid, duct tape...what have you, he ripped it off. "He's dead."

The room went still under the weight of his words. Even the machines keeping Cas alive seemed to try and hush, knowing just how bad this was.

And all at once, Dean stood, and Gabriel turned. Dean stood and came toward him, and Gabriel turned toward his brother.

Sam didn't put up a hint of a struggle as Dean took his arm and pulled him from the room. Where they were going, Sam wasn't sure. He followed blindly, almost clumsily.

It wasn't until they were out in the open air--on the roof, his mind supplied--that either spoke.

"It's over," Sam said in a whisper.

They both knew Sam wasn't talking about the Company.

"No. No, Sammy, it's not. But you're going to have to give time, man. I don't know how much, probably a lot, but...don't give up, you hear me?"

Sam shook his head, finding his way to the wall by the door and slumping against it.

"I knew, Dean. I knew before I pulled the trigger. But I...it would've destroyed him, and I know it. This is bad enough, and I--"

"Stop rambling. Find your center, yeah? Come on, Sammy."

"I can't anymore. Fuck, Dean, I love him so much, I can't-can't--"

"Shit. You centered on him, didn't you?"

Sam tilted his head back, gaze bleary with tears, taking a deep gulp of cool air.

And then Dean was pulling him away from the wall, into his arms, forcing him to bow down and bury his face against his big brother's shoulder.

"Alright. Alright, with me? That clearing when you were 13. The fourth of July. With me?"

Sam shook his head. He remembered, and that had been a centering memory once, but not now.

"Remember the fireworks? I remember looking over at you, seeing them reflected in your eyes. You had such awe on your face. Come on, Sammy. You with me?"

Sam shook his head again.

"De." Was that his voice? Well, he supposed it made sense it'd sound just as broken as he felt.

"Dammit. Okay. Okay, little brother, just..."

Dean was floundering here. For once in their lives, Dean didn't know what to do.

"You can't fix this one, Dean," Sam muffled against his shoulder, pulling away and relieving his brother of the burden. He breathed in, but it all felt so hollow. "I just...I need time. Just time."

"Alright. Okay, okay. What are you gonna do?"

Sam shook his head. "Not going anywhere. I would, but...the other shoe's going to drop for Jack, and...he's going to need us. All of us. Do me a favor?" A nod from Dean had Sam continuing. "Don't bother Gabriel with it. Not any of it, Dean. Let him be. Like I said, I knew what was going to happen. And it hurts...gods, but it hurts more than anything I've ever felt. But he gets this. He has every right to it. I killed his father, someone he loved, even if he was confused about him. I took away his right to decide his fate, too. So he gets to be angry at me. He gets to hate me. You might not think I deserve it...and from you, I wouldn't. But from him, I do. Get it?"

Dean huffed. "No. But you'd get him more than I would. ...I hate it, but I won't push Sammy."

"...There's more." Sam spoke.

He told Dean everything he'd learned in Chuck's office. To say Dean was shocked was an understatement. But ultimately, Dean had just hugged him once more, and left him on the roof, heading back to Cas' side.

Sam looked out over the city. His heart ached.


	18. Chapter 18

He went home. There was nothing he could do at the hospital...and honestly? He just couldn't be there. Not right now. Sure, his family was there, and he wanted to be there with them. But it just...it hurt too much right now.

Sam never felt more like a coward.

But he hid.

He packed up a large duffel of clothes and looked around the apartment. He considered taking more than just the clothes. Considered throwing things that were decidedly his out, erasing traces of his presence from the home he'd made with Gabriel...ultimately, he decided against it. He'd taken enough from Gabriel. Letting him decide what to do with those things...he'd leave it to him. It wasn't a foolish hope that doing so would bring them back together. Sam knew better. He'd broken them.

He took the duffel and headed out of the apartment, and up the stairs of the building they owned.

The building was four stories high, each floor with four apartments to it. Dean and Cas had one on the ground floor. Sam had shared one with Gabriel on the second. Charlie had one on the third, and Kelly and Jack had been splitting one on that same floor when everything went down.

None of them had been up to the fourth floor in months. Stepping out of the stairwell brought a breath of stale, stagnant air with it. There was so much dust in it, it was almost suffocating. Sam took another breath, craving the suffocation over the hollow feeling each breath was bringing. How had he breathed before Gabriel? How was he supposed to now?

He walked to the apartment furthest from the stairs, opening the door and staring in. They had furnished all the other apartments on the first three floors, but the fourth floor they hadn't bothered with. There was nothing but hardwood stretching before him. He stepped in and shut the door behind him.

This was home now. He dropped the duffel by the door. Time to set it up.

He didn't grab much, honestly. An airbed, some cooking things, some paper plates and plastic utensils. Very bare necessities. After all, Dean and Charlie were going to want to move.

He waited until the next day before heading back to the hospital. He was as silent as he could manage when he peeked into the ICU room. Silent enough that not even Dean noticed him.

Cas was off the machines. He was breathing on his own. Good.

He then went and checked on Charlie and Jack.

Charlie was getting out today, and Jack...the teen looked like he'd aged twenty years in a day.

The former assassin looked up at Sam. "...Where?" he asked.

"I'll show you," Sam replied. He shot Charlie a look, one that said he'd see her later, and turned to lead the way out. Jack followed swiftly.

The drive wasn't short...but it wasn't all that long, either. Still, it was drowned in silence. Sam pulled off the road and drove up the hill, stopping a good few meters away. Jack got out of the car, already spotting the burial site.

Sam slowly followed afterward.

The teen stood next to the mound of dirt, unmarked save the nearby flowering bush, and looked out over the small valley below.

Time stretched. Birds sang, a testament to the world continuing on around them.

"I should've saved her," Jack finally whispered. Not to Sam...but to the world that didn't seem to care.

"Yeah," Sam found himself saying. "Yeah, but you didn't. You couldn't. This is life now, Jack. I...I never got to know my mom, so I can't imagine what you're feeling. But whatever it is, there's life beyond it. And eventually...eventually it's not going to hurt as bad. And for it...for all of it, you won't be alone," Sam promised him.

The teen was still, quiet...and then ever so slowly, he leaned into Sam's side. Sam shifted, bringing his arm up and around Jack's shoulders, tucking him into his side. Jack's hand came up and twisted into the tail of his shirt, gripping for dear life.

How long they remained there like that, Sam didn't know. Didn't pay it any mind. Let Jack take as much time as he needed. Sam would give all he had of it.


	19. Chapter 19

Charlie and Jack wound up holing up with him in the living area of the fourth floor apartment. They each had an air mattress against the three walls of the living room, each marked by bags of personal affects.

It was good, having some of his family there. It kept some of the loneliness at bay.

There was minimal contact from Dean...just a handful of texts. And complete radio silence from Gabriel, but that wasn't unexpected.

What was, though?

A week passed, and he came back from a run to find Charlie and Jack gone...and Gabriel sitting on his air mattress.

Gabriel stood as the door swung shut behind Sam. And in all the time he'd known him, Sam couldn't read what was on his face, in his eyes. For lack of a better description, Gabriel stalked forward. Sam wanted to cringe in on himself, wanted to hide, didn't want to face this...but he didn't deserve to keep hiding. He didn't deserve the small amount of peace it afforded.

He held his ground, for the most part. But then Gabriel was reaching out, taking his hand, and pulling him from the entrance. Sam followed, confused. He didn't speak, though. He could read enough in Gabriel, in the atmosphere surrounding them, that silence was what was warranted here.

His confusion ratcheted higher when Gabriel turned him and pushed, forcing Sam down onto the air mattress, and then onto his back. Gabriel moved over him and leaned down, and he started biting. Not nipping, but full out biting. He didn't break skin, but the bites were hard, punishing, definitely leaving marks along Sam's jaw and neck. The neckline of his shirt was tugged down and to the side, and Gabriel was biting so hard into his clavicle that Sam couldn't help a pained sound at that one. It made Gabriel still above him...and then his lips were softly pressing to the harsh bruise already rising to his skin.

Sam took a shuddering gasp with the sensation, his hands coming up and grabbing at Gabriel's forearms. Gabriel still loved him. He was angry, he was hurt...but...but he still loved him? Sam's entire body started to tremble, with hope, with fear...he wasn't sure. He shut his eyes against it.

Gabriel moved back up, and he felt his forehead against his own. Sam was afraid to breathe, afraid to speak.

Slowly, weight settled over him, pressing him further into the air mattress. Gabriel's forehead left his own, and his face found its way into the crook of Sam's neck, soft fluttery kisses being pressed there.

His eyes stung, liquid heat pooling at the corners and leaking free, cooling on his face as they slid into his hair.

Maybe...just maybe...things were going to be alright.


	20. Chapter 20

The kisses had long since stilled, and they'd fallen into a peaceful quiet. It lasted a good few hours, the two of them just laying there like that, with Gabriel's weight anchoring Sam to the mattress beneath them.

Finally, though, Gabriel breathed in a breath that signaled he was getting ready to speak. Sam couldn't help a faint line of tension in his body.

"Cassie woke up."

Not what he'd been expecting...but it didn't ease the tension. All the same, something in him relaxed. "Oh, thank the gods," he breathed out.

"Mm. He's still hurting, and really disoriented...but he's aware, at least," Gabriel added, his hand moving to trace circles over Sam's stomach.

Silence fell again, but after a few minutes, Sam decided to be the one to break it this time. "Gabriel, I--"

"No," Gabriel cut in, his hand flattening and pressing lightly against Sam's stomach. "No, Sam. Don't...don't apologize, alright? I...I'm not happy. And I'm sure there's a lot I don't know here, but..." and here, he moved his head, nuzzling up into Sam's jaw. "You came back."

They fell quiet again, and Sam brought his hand up, tangling his fingers with the hand Gabriel still had on his stomach.

"...Do you want to know?" Sam finally asked, after another hour, maybe more, maybe less, had stretched between them.

"...I don't know if I want to know. If you want the truth, that's half the reason I stayed away as long as I did. I can't figure out if I want to know whatever it is you found out."

Sam hummed and turned his head, pressing a soft kiss to Gabriel's forehead. "So...so what about us, then?" he broached, leading Gabriel away from the subject of his father.

"I love you," Gabriel whispered against his neck. "I don't want to be without you. This...this is heavy. It's hanging between us, and I hate it. And it _hurts_. It hurts so much, but Sam...Samshine..." and Gabriel's voice broke under the weight of the nickname. Sam could do little more than draw Gabriel closer and nuzzle against the top of his head.

"I'll give you whatever you want, whatever you need, Gabriel. Space, time...I can wait. I will wait."

Gabriel shook his head. "Not space, not time. I've had too much of that already. I want you with me. I need you there with this."

"Then I'll be right there with you, every step of the way. I swear it, Gabriel."

"Mm. Good," Gabriel spoke, a relief in his tone. Then he turned a wan smirk to Sam. "Now go get a shower. You always stink after your runs," he teased lightly.

"Shut up, you love it," Sam said, letting the mood shift into something easier. "...Shower with me. Just shower. I want you near," he said.

Gabriel nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this story only has one more chapter now. We'll see what my muse says....


	21. Chapter 21

Two days later, and Dean made a house run for clothes. He had apparently been wearing the same thing since Cas had been hurt, and Cas had finally become aware enough to not only point out the dried blood on him, but also his lack of hygiene. Sam was at the hospital visiting with Cas when Dean texted him. ' _We need to move_.' It had been what Sam was expecting, and he wasn't the least bit surprised. He'd already had Charlie looking into viable properties to house them. There was a cul de sac that was largely abandoned that Sam was liking. A house for each of them, if Jack stayed with Charlie. ...If she wanted the teen in her space. If not, then Sam wouldn't mind him being under his roof. Though, since Cas had woken up, there was some sort of strange bond between the former assassin and the doctor. Practically one of parent and child. He supposed he'd just have to see how the cards fell.

Things with Gabriel were strained. But not as strained as they could've been. Not broken, like he'd thought they would be. They still kissed, held each other...they'd even made love a couple of times. Still, it seemed like there was a barrier between them now. And Sam had not a clue how to break it down. He was hoping Gabriel could figure out and clue him in. He didn't expect things to go back to how they were...but he didn't want this between them.

"This is it," he spoke, after Dean had come back and taken over Cas-watch.

He'd driven himself, Gabriel, Charlie, and Jack out to the cul de sac and was parked in the circle, already out as the others climbed.

Charlie made a strained noise. "It's worse than I'd been led to believe," she said, looking at the three houses. The yards were overgrown, with grass high enough to come to Sam's knees. Each house was two stories, with similar layouts and wrap around porches, but they were bordering on dilapidated.

"I don't believe these are suitable living environments," Jack said with a faint frown.

Sam glanced over at Gabriel, wanting his opinion, but the older man didn't say anything, just looked over what he could see from where he stood. But Sam thought the expression was a decent one. It was evaluating.

"I've looked the places over," he started, turning to Jack and Charlie. "It'll take a bit of elbow grease and some time, but we can get them whipped into shape pretty well. I mean, Dean and I have done a lot of handyman jobs back when we had no way to get money otherwise. Just a bit of work, guys...and these could be our homes."

Somehow, Charlie and Jack were convinced with Sam's words. All that remained was gaining Cas and Dean's approval. But it'd be another week, at least, before Cas would be released from the hospital. So, with a lack of anything else to do, he'd taken Charlie, Jack, and Gabriel back to the apartment building so they could pack things up. It was best to be prepared for when they were ready to move, wherever they did wind up moving to.

Sam was in the kitchen packing up plates when Gabriel shuffled in and paused just beyond the door frame. Sam looked over at him to see Gabriel holding a picture frame in his hands; he could guess which picture it was.

"...Tell me," Gabriel spoke quietly.

Sam nodded, turning to face Gabriel fully. "Michael found out about the Company. He was trying to prove himself to your father. ...And your Dad called him mediocre, apparently. That's why he turned on you and your brothers," he spoke. He gentled his tone as much as he could, because these words were the furthest thing from kind there was.

A visible tremor, not related to the temperature of the room, went through Gabriel. Sam's heart pulsed with concern and he stepped forward. Gently, he took the picture from Gabriel, setting it on the counter and pulling him into his arms. Gabriel resisted none of it and melted into Sam's embrace, hands coming up to curl in the hem of Sam's shirt. The taller man leaned down and softly kissed blonde hair, nuzzling the top of his fiance's head.

"There's more, isn't there? That's not it," came muffled from about his chest.

Sam sighed. "Yeah, but...it's actually about me. Me and Dean," he said. At this, Gabriel pulled back just enough to look up at him with red-rimmed eyes, confusion in his every feature. "It turns out that my Mom had worked for the Company," Sam began. "And when she got out, they tracked her. And by the time they found her...she'd had us."

"Fuck, Sam."

"Your dad, at the time, was the handler of the man that came into my nursery. They were apparently going to take me as both a replacement for my mother, to be trained as an assassin, and to punish her for leaving."

"Fuck. This is so messed up," Gabriel breathed. "My...My Dad, he tore apart both of our lives."

"I know."

"I'm sorry," Gabriel blurted, voice cracking.

"No. No, Gabriel, don't you dare be sorry," Sam spoke, his hands moving to cup the smaller man's face. "I hate...I hate that our lives are this, but I can't regret it, because you're in it. You're in my life, and I love you more than...anything. Air, water, food...the sky, the sun, the moon. I love you with everything I am now, ever have been, ever could be."

"Sam...."

"I killed him. I killed him because I was terrified of what it'd do to you if you did it. And because I couldn't let him live, not under the weight of what he'd done. And I know there was so much more than just the death of innocents and what he'd done to us. So I killed him. And I was so certain I'd lose you because of it. I know things aren't the same between us anymore," Sam spoke, leaning down to touch his forehead to Gabriel's. "And I hate that there's something like a wall there now. But I'll take it, because I just can't...I feel like every breath is void of oxygen without you, Gabe. It _hurts_ , and it's _hollow_ and _empty_."

Gabriel surged forward suddenly, kissing Sam for all he was worth, cutting off any further words. It was desperate, on both sides of the kiss, and soon they were pulling at one another's clothes. Who was maneuvering was uncertain as they stumbled their way through the apartment, kissing and only parting for breath and the slide of shirts, but they made their way into the bedroom.

As Sam's legs hit the bed, he plopped down onto it, and they finally paused for more than just a gasp of air.

"Want you, Samshine," Gabriel murmured, leaning forward.

Sam nodded. "Take me. All yours, Angel," he said, surging forward for another kiss.

They moved in concert after the kiss, Sam sliding up the bed, Gabriel following hungrily after. Sam wasn't sure who grabbed the lube, but Gabriel was opening him up within minutes, drawing a shuddering gasp from Sam.

"I felt it, too, Sam. Being away from you, it was like ice in my blood, like my heart was carved out of my chest, like someone had stolen my lungs away," Gabriel confessed, kissing Sam's stomach, hiding his face against it as his clever fingers worked him open. "...And you're right, it's not the same anymore. But I love you so much. I just--"

Sam reached up, taking Gabriel's free hand and interlacing their fingers. Gabriel looked up and their eyes met. They both stilled for a long moment, something hanging in the air between them. No, everything; everything hung between them. Their very lives, it was all there. And Sam realized that this wasn't a barrier to break down, but a force that was tying them together, that it was something to hold onto. Something in him eased, and he could see the same in Gabriel.

Curling his body upward, their lips met in an eager kiss. He was barely opened up enough, but he moved and pulled Gabriel's hand free of his entrance. "Now," he murmured against his lover's lips. Gabriel complied with a shift of the bed, and soon his cock as pressing deep into Sam.

They were both more vocal than usual...gasps, pants, groans, and moans.

"So good, Sam."

"So full...gods, Gabe!"

"I love you."

"Love you...oh, fuck, more!"

When Sam climaxed, it was with an ecstatic yell of Gabriel's name on his lips. Gabriel was seconds behind him with a heavy groan.

It was after that, that things became easy again. It didn't feel like it had before they had discovered the Company...but it didn't feel like those weeks after Sam had killed Gabriel's father, either. If anything...it was more now, than it had been. They'd survived something they never could've guessed they'd face, and they came out the other side, stronger for it.

Cas was released from the hospital, and the lot of them took to laying up in hotel rooms, with Sam, Dean, and Gabriel working on the houses. Gabriel wasn't terribly good at it, but he didn't want to sit back and do nothing. Cas wanted to help, too, of course, but he was still recovering from his life threatening injury, so that was nixed.

It was almost six months later before all was fully settled and done. Jack wound up living with Cas and Dean, and Sam and Gabriel had a house to themselves, and Charlie in the house in the middle of the cul de sac.

Sam was watching a news report when Gabriel trod in and plopped heavily into Sam's lap. Sam couldn't help a quiet, "Oof," that escaped him.

"Oh, hush, I'm not that heavy," Gabriel spoke with a cheeky grin. He was holding a large book on his lap.

"It was more of the way you just dropped into my lap. ...What's that?" Sam asked, tilting his head.

"Wedding Planner book," Gabriel chirped with a grin. "How's about Fall?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Le End.
> 
> There may be time stamps incoming, but we'll see.


End file.
